Glad You're Going My Way
by I Need Space - And Fresh Air
Summary: Season 2 AU where Blaine and Kurt are in the same grade and Kurt never spied on the Warblers or transfered to Dalton. Burt and Carole get married on a cruise boat during Kurt's spring break, which so happens to be the same boat that the Andersons (minus their eldest son) are on for a family vacation. Funny how a four day cruise can change the lives of two teenage boys from Ohio.
1. Sunday

A/N - I recently went on a cruise for the first time and thought it would make a good backdrop for a Klaine fic. This is AU for Season 2 and everything is fair game up through Season 3. In this scenario, Kurt and Blaine are in the same grade but Kurt never went to Dalton to spy on the Warblers and never transfered after getting threatened at school. Everything is outlined - frequency of updates will depend on how much free time I have to write/post. I hope to have this finished before the start of S5. Thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome :)

Warnings: Mentions of physical and emotional abuse/bullying. There will be some angst (but no smut) smattered throughout.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

* * *

SUNDAY

It was a lovely ceremony. Definitely not something he would want for himself, but the cruise boat wedding was perfect for his dad and Carole because it was low frills, kind of tacky, but at the end of the day really sweet. He was grateful they went with the least religious verbiage offered up by the wedding planner.

Though he was upset that because the wedding was on a cruise boat, Kurt was not allowed anything to do with the actual wedding planning or reception, he tried to tell himself that this is what his dad and Carole wanted and if that made them happy, then he was happy too. Of course, if would have made him even happier if his dad would have forgone his baseball hat for the ceremony and if there were more health-conscious options of food during the small reception, but he shoved his criticisms as far down as he could and kept telling himself that he would have full control over his own wedding someday.

As it was, Kurt Hummel was seventeen years old, a junior at McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, and now stuck on a cruise boat with his dad, stepmother Carole and her son (his stepbrother) Finn for the next few days. It was a pleasant surprise to say the least when his dad and Carole announced they were getting married. But, when they told him and Finn that instead of a honeymoon, the Hummel-Hudson clan would be taking a family cruise, Kurt immediately blanched at the plan. Though he and Finn were fine sharing a room (now that Kurt had gotten over his crush on his straight friend-turned-stepbrother), how was he supposed to survive four days of sun and no Internet connection? Things got even worse when his dad limited the amount of luggage he was allowed to bring with him, forcing him to leave an entire carryon full of _Vogue _magazines back in Ohio.

Kurt sipped his champagne slowly, savoring the taste but reminding himself not to indulge too much. The last time he had anything to drink, he threw up all over his guidance counselor's pumps and that was something he never wanted to repeat. The reception for his dad and Carole was a bit silly, since it was only the four of them in the room, but he found himself brushing stray tears from his cheeks as he watched the bride and groom cling closely to each other as they danced slowly to some 80s power ballad that seemed to mean something to them.

Finn was off trying to flirt with the bartender who was told in advanced that only the happy couple was allowed any alcohol, as the boys were underage. Kurt shook his head and turned his attention back to his parents, but was only able to stomach their adorableness for a second before he wandered over to a chair in the corner of the room and sunk down into it. He sighed, knowing it was selfish to be jealous of his dad and Carole. It was just that they had something Kurt wished he had – someone to love. Someone who loved him. Hell, someone who would hold his hand and walk with him down the hall. Their dancing was a stinging reminder that his own junior prom was coming up in less than two weeks and he didn't have a date.

As he was told he could keep his phone on until the boat started moving, Kurt opened up a text message from his best friend, Mercedes, and read it for the millionth time. "Just say the word, Boo, and you can have all this escorting you to jr prom." It was so tempting to just say Yes. He wanted to go so bad. And true, while he would rather go with a boy (as a boyfriend this late in the game would definitely be out of the question – especially since he didn't know any other out guys to begin with), he also didn't want to miss out on an opportunity for fashion. Having mastered a sewing machine at a young age, Kurt designed a McQueen-inspired kilt that he was dying to show off to his friends at the dance. But he couldn't go with Mercedes. He just couldn't. He would rather wear his kilt and watch a movie in his room than be stuck watching all the heterosexual couples suck face in their store bought monstrosities.

An announcement over the boat's loudspeakers shook Kurt from his seething about junior prom. Apparently the boat was going to be leaving port soon and that people had about thirty minutes to get to their muster stations for the mandatory safety speech.

The private reception came to a close as the newlyweds and their sons met up before splitting off to go to their rooms. Though they were in the same hallway, Kurt and Finn's room was assigned to a different muster station than their parents. They agreed to meet at Burt and Carole's suite after the safety meeting to get themselves acquainted with the ship as a family and discuss their itinerary for their few days on the boat.

After multiple reassurances to their parents that they could figure out where they were supposed to go without their help, Kurt and Finn took the stairs down several floors to find their room. Finn cut off his stepbrother to be the one between the two of them to open the door. As he fumbled with his keycard, Kurt crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, muttering that it shouldn't take anyone that long to open a door. Just as he was about to roll his eyes for a second time, Kurt saw something – or rather someone – out of his peripherals. He saw a brief glimpse of a face, with tanned skin and raven eyebrows, distinct in their triangular shape. Kurt's eyes weren't quick enough to get a better look at this other boy, but his ears caught just enough of a voice to know that whoever he was, he was also on the boat with his parents, as a gentle tenor called out, "I know, I know, Mom. Meet you and Dad back at your room right after the meeting."

…

Blaine Anderson knew he had about ten minutes to himself before his mom knocked on his door to remind him of the plan he had literally just repeated to them. Though their rooms were near each other, for some reason they had different muster station assignments. He wasn't their only child, but he was their youngest son and the only Anderson child on this family cruise as his older brother, Cooper, was busy filming a series of Free Credit Rating Today commercials.

Dropping his Dalton duffle bag on the floor, Blaine shucked his backpack off and placed that on his bed. He flopped down next to it and threw his arm over his forehead. This was definitely not how he thought he would be spending spring break of his junior year of high school, but he realized things could be worse. At least he wasn't still in Ohio.

Rolling over to try and get more comfortable in his last few minutes before he had to go upstairs, Blaine found himself face to face with a folded towel. He had heard from friends who had cruised before from this company that towels folded to look like animals were always left in one's room, but this towel didn't look like any animal – it looked like a vagina. His arm involuntarily swung out and knocked the offending towel off his bed. He was pretty sure even if he was straight, he wouldn't want that looking him in the face at the moment.

Blaine immediately got up, picked up the towel and shook it out before hanging it in his room's bathroom. Looking at his watch, he figured his mom would knock soon, so he went back to his bed and opened up his backpack, which was full of books. Blaine knew he was going to have to spend some time with his parents, but he decided before they left that he was going to try and get some reading done. His private school's curriculum was rigorous, but he had a whole week off and was looking forward to finding a quiet spot on the boat and plow through as many books as he could.

Like clockwork, there was a knock on his door a couple minutes later. With a genuine smile, he greeted his mother with another reassurance that he would meet her back at her room as soon as the meeting was over.

…

Kurt sighed as he looked around at the other people at their muster station, wishing this safety speech was over sooner rather than later. He had never been on a cruise, but all of the information seemed like common sense. As the life vest demonstration droned on in front of him, Kurt's eyes fell onto a shorter boy across the room. Not wanting to stare, Kurt tried to steal quick glances back at this other boy when he could. The eyebrows made him fairly certain that it was the same boy he saw earlier in his hallway. However, he was standing alone among someone else's family. Kurt was immediately intrigued by this boy's quiet stoicism. Instead of looking bored like most of the other people in the room, this boy looked like he was somewhere else – deep in thought. Kurt wondered what the other boy was thinking about, but was quickly distracted by Finn's elbow which had jabbed him quite hard in the ribs.

"Ow, Finn. Jesus." Kurt smacked a hand at his stepbrother's arm, trying to make the taller boy stop squirming around so much.

Blaine _was_ bored. His family had been on several cruises before, so this safety schpeal was nothing he hadn't heard before. Wishing he wasn't alone, he started to look around at the other passengers, thinking that if something happened to the boat, these were the people he would be stuck with. Glancing around at the large family of strangers he somehow managed to stand among, he sighed.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a boy across the way hitting a taller boy he was standing next to. He chuckled, thinking how he and his brother would likely be doing the same thing if they were stuck listening to the life vest speech again. Blaine's giggles stopped abruptly when he got a better look at the boy doing the smacking – he was gorgeous. Even though he was at least 50 feet away, Blaine felt himself swoon a bit at this other boy's pale skin and upswept hair. He quickly eyed the taller boy this stunning person was smacking and saw that they looked nothing alike. A stab of jealousy for someone he didn't even know briefly flashed across Blaine's eyes. He instantly felt angry for allowing himself to be so affected by someone he didn't even know.

Blaine didn't have a boyfriend. He never had one and figured he likely never would – at least until college. Though his parents were not upset in the slightest that he liked boys, Blaine never had the best luck with guys. He came out the summer before his freshman year of high school and was promptly beat to a pulp after the Sadie Hawkins Dance that fall because he attended with his friend, Jackson – the only other gay kid he knew. They weren't dating, they just wanted to go to their first high school dance and it made sense to go together. The three guys that jumped them broke Jackson's arm, but beat the living crap out of Blaine, forcing him to spend his Thanksgiving break in a hospital bed with stitches in his head, a fractured wrist and a broken hip. When he was healed enough after extensive therapy to go back to school after winter break, he was enrolled into Dalton Academy – a private school in Westerville, Ohio that had a zero-tolerance harassment policy. He was safe from being bullied, but kept to himself. There were other out kids at his new school, but he was too scared to let himself like anyone. Blaine dove into his schoolwork, determined to get into a great college and out of Ohio so he could finally just be himself.

With a sigh, he dared to look back at the beautiful boy across the room. Blaine didn't have the best gay-dar, but he assumed that this other boy must be with the taller guy next to him from how comfortable they were around each other, and the ease at which they touched each other, even if it was just some smacks on the arm. Though there was some frustration showing on the face of the gorgeous stranger, Blaine saw that there was also love and admiration behind his eyes too. The jealous feeling surfaced again and Blaine wished for a fraction of a second that someday he would have that with someone.

To everyone's delight, the safety meeting ended and the masses of people started to disperse. Blaine lost sight of the boys he had been staring at and secretly hoped not to run into them again because it almost hurt to see them enjoying something he told himself he couldn't have.

On the walk back to their room, Kurt stayed a few steps behind Finn, craning his neck to get a better look at the other people making their way down the hall. He hoped to get a glimpse of the lonely boy from the meeting. Kurt knew absolutely nothing about the shorter stranger, but the melancholy look on his face made Kurt's insides churn with want to reach out to him somehow. With so many people on the boat, though, Kurt tried to tell himself that he was likely not going to run into him again.

…

Blaine spent part of the afternoon with his parents sitting at a table and discussing their itinerary for the cruise. The Andersons were well versed in cruising and knew which activities they knew they wanted to make time for and what they could definitely skip. Blaine liked trivia, his mom wanted to schedule some spa time, and his dad was content to just not be at his office. Ethan Anderson had also packed a stack of books he wanted to read during their trip and winked at his son, making a silent agreement to steal some time to relax and read in each other's company while Vanessa was off getting her nails done.

Ethan and Vanessa decided together before the cruise that Blaine would be responsible for choosing the activities and shore excursions they would do once they stopped at the port cities. They wanted him to have as much fun as possible on this trip because things were going to be different once they got back to Ohio. It pained them to keep it a secret from their youngest son, but he would be starting a new school once his spring break was over. Ethan had been promoted within his law firm and the Andersons had to relocate. During the cruise, the Anderson's house in Westerville was being packed up and their belongings were to be moved into their new house in Lima. It was going to be too far for Blaine to commute to Dalton and though they could have let him board there, they thought it would be better for him to matriculate back into public school for the remainder of his high school career. They weren't sure how Blaine was going to handle the news because he was so fond of Dalton, but they worried that he was losing himself the longer he stayed at the private school.

Blaine was a bright and bubbly child, always making up silly songs and dancing around – completely unapologetic for being himself. But then, after the Sadie Hawkins incident, Blaine became someone else. He was still Blaine in the sense that he was still polite as ever and a great student, but he was more reserved and calculated. It was his insistence to smother his naturally curly hair with gel so that he fit in better with the other boys at school. He stopped wearing bowties and colorful socks and wore something similar to his Dalton uniform at all times, even on the weekends when he went out.

Vanessa and Ethan looked at each other before turning their attention back to their youngest son. He looked more like he used to, with Vanessa having convinced him that he should pack comfortable clothes for the cruise. She made sure that his hair gel was accidentally left back in Ohio and snuck a few of his favorite t-shirts into his duffle bag. Blaine was talking more animatedly than usual, excited for their snorkeling excursion the following morning. Before she realized what she was doing, Vanessa reached over and ran a hand through her son's hair. He stopped talking and smiled at her, slightly confused for the gesture, but appreciative just the same. He loved his parents and was grateful they felt the same way in return. He asked aloud if either of them brought the tropical fish field guide with them so they could look up what fish they saw. Ethan clapped a hand on his son's shoulder and assured him that the book was in his room.

…

Kurt scanned the list of activities and wanted to roll his eyes but refrained because he could tell how much his dad and Carole really wanted him and Finn to enjoy themselves. He told himself he would bite his tongue and do things with his family because he didn't want to ruin his parents' combination wedding/honeymoon week. Burt and Carole explained that they weren't going to go anywhere by themselves since their sons would be graduating in a few years, and that they'd rather spend the money on a family vacation.

Burt didn't seem too thrilled about the list of things to do on the boat and would have been content to just sit and read somewhere quiet since that was something he didn't get to do too much of at home. But, seeing the look on Carole's face when she saw the different spa packages that were available and Finn's interest in the different sports trivia made Burt glad that they were able to do something together like this.

Near the bottom of the ship's activity list was something that did catch Kurt's eye – a nightly LGBTQ meeting. As the Hudson-Hummel family walked toward where they were having dinner, Kurt tugged on his dad's sleeve just like he used to when he was a little boy and quietly asked if he was allowed to attend the meeting. Kurt and Finn were only seventeen, their parents set a nightly curfew for them since there was no way for them to get a hold of each other since no one could text or call. The LGBTQ meeting wasn't supposed to be over until a half hour after Kurt's curfew, but seeing how much this meant to his son, Burt said his he could go. For the first time since after the wedding that afternoon, Kurt gave his father a genuine smile. The Hummel men shared a big hug, causing Carole to silently ask her husband what was going on. Burt gave her half a smile and she knew that he would explain later what was going on.

…

Dinner was fairly uneventful for the Andersons. They were seated at a table with another family, and though they tried to make friendly conversation, they quickly learned that the other five people at the table were quite rude so they mostly kept to themselves. Blaine was seated in between his parents and gladly kept up conversation with them. But, there came a point where they began speaking around his back and his attention began to wander. He almost dropped his fork when he saw a familiar face across the room.

Though Kurt was tall, he felt sandwiched in between his dad and Finn because they were both broader than he. Elbows were constantly being knocked and Finn kept trying to sneak bites of food off of Kurt's plate, claiming whatever Kurt ordered looked way better than the pile of food he had. Kurt glared at his stepbrother, silently threatening him to stop spearing chunks of sweet potato. Finn thought he was being sneaky, but quickly stopped what he was doing when Kurt grabbed his wrist and guided it away from his plate. After being scolded by Carole for misbehaving at the table, Kurt gave Finn a fake smile and then said through gritted teeth that the next time Finn took something from him, he was going to shave off one of Finn's eyebrows in his sleep. The Hudson-Hummels finished their dinner with relatively no more interruptions between the boys.

Blaine thought to himself that he would give anything for a boy to smile at him like the gorgeous boy smiled at that oaf of a guy he was sitting next to. Taking his frustration out on his salad, Blaine stabbed at pieces of lettuce before taking a deep breath and calming himself down. He didn't want his parents to know just how lonely he was because what eighteen year old wants to talk relationship woes with their mom and dad?

As dessert was brought out, Blaine's attention was called back to his table when his mom started asking him about his summer plans. He still had a few more weeks of school but knew his parents expected him to get a job or at the very least volunteer somewhere to help pad his college applications. Already thinking about his options, Blaine mentioned that he was planning to audition to be part of the musical revue at King's Island because he would be earning money while doing something musical theater related. He wasn't 100% sure that's what he wanted to major in, but at the very least, the audition would be good experience. By the time the Andersons were finished with their molten chocolate cake, Blaine was disappointed to see the beautiful boy from earlier was already gone.

…

It was nearing 10:00pm and Blaine was sitting alone on his suite's balcony, watching the water crest in small waves as the boat sailed on. He had already said goodnight to his parents and promised them repeatedly that he would be ready to go with them to breakfast at 8:00am. Since he was legally an adult and they trusted him implicitly, Blaine was not given a curfew. Instead, he was told to be responsible and make smart choices should he decide to wander the boat on his own at night. Ethan and Vanessa knew their youngest son as well as he would let them and figured he would probably read or walk around for a little bit. He wasn't a partier and though he was a born performer, Blaine was actually fairly introverted, so they didn't expect him to get into any trouble their first night there.

When fat raindrops began falling from the night sky, Blaine went into his room and flopped down on his bed. He reached for his book on the counter, but accidentally grabbed the boat's activity list as well. A quick look at that night's options told Blaine that there was an LGBTQ meeting starting in a few minutes in a lounge a few floors above. On a whim, he slid on his sandals and grabbed his wallet and room's keycard. He figured if he didn't feel comfortable, he could always leave.

…

Kurt walked into the lounge completely unsure of what was going to happen. He had never been to an LGBTQ meeting by himself before and was nervous about being around other people who were like him. He always felt that being different made him who he was, but what happened if the other people didn't like him? When he got into the room, he let out a small sigh of relief. There were a few dozen people already there and most of them looked friendly upon first glance.

There were bottles of water and cans of soda on a table off to the side. Grateful for the prospect of something to hold to keep his hands occupied, Kurt crossed over and grabbed a can of Diet Coke. He opened it and took a small sip, scanning the room to see if there was anyone that looked like someone he could try and get the courage to talk to later. While he was trying to covertly look around, a man went up to the microphone on the stage of the lounge and introduced himself as Kyle. He said that for that night, they would just have an open mingling session to get people talking and that meetings over the next few nights would be more structured. He encouraged everyone to introduce themselves to each other, which made Kurt a lot more nervous than he already was.

Taking another sip of soda, he turned around and saw familiar eyebrows across the room. He didn't know how, but he managed to swallow the soda in his mouth before choking on it when he saw the other boy looking back at him. They started walking toward each other, each unaware how their feet knew what to do or where to go. The distance closed – fifty feet, then forty, then thirty. Shy smiles sprouted as they walked closer, until Kurt noticed the other boy's eyebrows go up and his smile completely falter. Kurt was confused until he felt a hand grab his arm and swing him around, stopping him in his tracks.

"Hey, sexy."

Kurt's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets as he found himself face to face with a smarmy looking boy about his age. He wasn't used to anyone coming onto him and would have maybe shaken the whole thing off as an icebreaker if this other boy didn't look like he was actually trying to undress Kurt with his eyes. "Um…"

A humorless laugh escaped the mouth of this stranger from whom Kurt wanted to get away. "Aw, speechless. That's cute - I like 'em quiet." Kurt's mouth dropped open and then quickly shut as the other boy continued to talk. "I'm Sebastian. And you are?"

Blaine closed in on the pair of boys. He recognized a look of panic on the beautiful boy he was initially walking toward and felt his heart surge with anger. Without really thinking, he took bold final steps toward the boys until he was standing behind the one who had hold of the beautiful boy who was struggling to get out of his grasp. Reaching out, Blaine put a gentle hand on the beautiful boy's shoulder, stilling him and his offender. "There you are." Blaine couldn't believe the words were flowing out of his mouth with such ease and false confidence. "I've been looking for you _forever_."

As Sebastian turned his head to look at whoever was interrupting his acquisition of that night's hook up, Kurt's eyes widened when he saw it was the boy with the eyebrows, but then softened immediately to pretend like he was expecting him all along. Acting was always a passion of Kurt's and he was determined to put on an Oscar worthy performance if it meant getting this aggressive guy's hands off of him sooner.

"Oh, hey," Kurt said in mock surprise. "Sorry I got _held _up." He shrugged his arm hard, forcing Sebastian to let go. With a grateful smile, he turned to the boy with the eyebrows and looked him square in the eye, desperately wishing that telepathy were a real thing.

If Blaine weren't so busy trying to help this stranger out, he was sure his heart would have stopped or at least skipped a beat. The beautiful stranger was even more stunning up close and the swirly blues, greens and grays of his eyes would have made Blaine's knees weak. Instead, he gave an understanding nod and offered a friendly smile. A returned smile from the other boy gave Blaine courage he didn't know he had. He forgot about the other boy in front of him and the taller boy he had seen this beautiful stranger with earlier and asked in a hopeful voice, "So, did you want to take that walk?"

Kurt nodded quickly. He didn't know this other boy, but somehow had a feeling that he was much safer to be around than this Sebastian creep who grabbed him. Without a second glance, Kurt followed his rescuer across the room, through the lounge's entrance and out a door leading to the boat's deck.

As soon as they were alone and Kurt was sure Sebastian hadn't followed them, he stopped walking, as he was unsure if he should actually go with this other boy. "Um, thank you for that, in there" he said softly.

Blaine nodded, silently accepting the other boy's gratitude. He nervously ran a hand up his neck and through the hair on the back of his head. "I normally don't… but he… I just…" He sighed, wishing he were actually the confidant person he was just pretending to be. "I didn't see your boyfriend and it looked like that other guy was bothering you. But I don't want to bother you either, so I'll just –" Blaine stopped talking on his own accord because he dared to look up at the other boy and found him staring with a completely puzzled look on his face. "What?"

Kurt cocked his head at this stranger who seemed so sure about things about him even though they were very much strangers. "Boyfriend?" He almost laughed. "I don't have a boyfriend!"

"Oh! But…" Blaine was confused and embarrassed.

"But?" Kurt wasn't trying to be rude, but he was honestly intrigued at what this boy with the eyebrows thought he knew about him.

"I saw you – at the safety meeting thing earlier. And then again at dinner. With him." Even though it was dark out, Kurt could see the other boy blushing hard underneath the boat's soft deck lighting. "He's really… tall."

Kurt tried to hold back a smile, but he couldn't even though he was biting his lip. "That's my brother! Well, stepbrother. Our parents got married this afternoon."

"Oh." Blaine's shoulders dropped with relief, but he still felt dumb for his assumptions, especially because the beautiful stranger had likely figured out that he was staring at him every chance he could get that. "Well, I should still leave you alone, though. I… yeah – " He started to turn on his heel, wanting to run back down to his room and hole up for the rest of the cruise.

"No, wait!" Kurt couldn't believe he was doing this, but he went for it anyway. "Do you want to walk around? I have curfew in a bit, but… since, I mean, we're already supposed to be on one. A walk, I mean." It was Kurt's turn to blush and that made Blaine feel slightly more at ease.

"Yeah, okay," Blaine agreed. "Um, I'm Blaine, by the way." Well mannered, he immediately held his hand out to shake the other boy's hand for a proper introduction.

"Kurt," he replied, sliding his palm against Blaine's. Their hands fit together perfectly as they gave a quick shake before dropping their hold, each afraid of being the one to hold on too long and make it more awkward than it already was.

"Kurt," Blaine repeated, liking the way the other boy's name sounded rolling off his tongue. They started walking. "So, um, curfew?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Yeah. It's not that my parents don't trust me, but with us not being able to use our cell phones and text each other on the boat, they want me and Finn – that's my stepbrother – back in our room by 11:00pm. We're both seventeen, but it's easier to just do what they want now so we can use it as leverage later."

It was Blaine's turn to chuckle, "That sounds reasonable."

"So I'm guessing you don't have a curfew?"

Blaine shook his head as they strolled past some empty deck chairs. "Nah. I'm not usually out late anyway and my parents said that they trust me since 'I'm an adult,' though being eighteen really doesn't have too many perks. At least none that I can think of besides voting."

Kurt snorted, thinking it was dorky but cute that the boy with the eyebrows thought the best thing about being a little bit older was voting.

There was probably about a foot between the two of them as they walked, each not wanting to encroach on the other's space.

"I kinda thought that meeting was going to be more organized," Kurt said softly. "I had never been to one like that before."

Blaine could hear the disappointment in the other boy's voice. "I've been to a few at school. I guess it really depends on who is running them." He looked over at Kurt and smiled even though the other boy wasn't looking. "I'm glad I went tonight, though. I don't think I would have had the courage to ask you your name otherwise," he admitted sheepishly.

Kurt stopped walking and turned to Blaine. At first he didn't know what to say because he was flattered and confused. But when he saw the embarrassment across Blaine's face, he gave him a knowing smile. "Yeah, I would have kept referring to you as 'the boy with the eyebrows.'"

That caught Blaine off guard, but in a good way. So he wasn't the only one who was looking… that made him have a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

A small beeping sound broke their pseudo moment. Kurt looked at his watch and sighed. "Whelp, looks like I gotta get back so Finn doesn't rat me out."

"Can I walk you to your room?"

Kurt knew what that question could imply, but coming from Blaine it honestly just sounded like he was asking to spend a few more minutes with his new acquaintance. "Yeah, sure." They opted to take the stairs instead of the elevator and Blaine let out a chuckle when Kurt stopped them on the fifth floor and turned right down the hallway. "What's so funny?"

Blaine pointed up a ways. "My room is up the hall a bit, on the left. I guess I don't know why I laughed."

"So… thanks for walking back with me, Blaine. Maybe I'll see you around?"

With a nod, Blaine said, "Yeah, I'd like that. I have to go to breakfast and stuff with my parents tomorrow, but I'll at least see you at dinner, right? We could maybe do something tomorrow night, or something?"

"Yeah, maybe." Kurt smiled shyly as he pulled out his keycard. "Goodnight, Blaine."

"Night, Kurt."

They exchanged smiles once more before Kurt opened his suite's door and gently closed it behind him, leaving a slightly smitten Blaine in the hallway.

Maybe the cruise wasn't going to be so bad after all.


	2. Monday

Warnings: Mentions/descriptions of verbal and physical abuse from bullying.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.

* * *

MONDAY

Blaine awoke with a smile on his face, giddy from his dream about a blue-eyed boy and eager to go snorkeling with his parents. He loved swimming, but getting to swim and look at tropical fish was an extra exciting prospect. This was the thing he was most looking forward to on the trip and he triple checked to make sure his underwater camera had brand new batteries as he was planning on taking pictures of everything he saw. He knocked on his parents' door a full five minutes before they were to meet for breakfast, anxious to get on with their morning.

"Hey kiddo," Ethan said as he opened the door to his and Vanessa's suite. "So, since we have nothing going on this morning, I figured you and your mom can go to the spa while I catch up on some light reading."

"Daaaaaaaaaaaad," Blaine groaned as he barged past his father and flopped down on his parents' bed.

Ethan chuckled at his son's response to his teasing and tossed a brand new tropical fish guide on the bed next to Blaine's side. "Don't forget to put that in your bag for later, yeah?"

A huge smile sprouted across Blaine's face as he rolled over and grabbed the book. "Is this the…? MOM! You told me they were out of stock!"

Vanessa peeked her head out of the bathroom where she was brushing her teeth. "I lied. Love you, B!" She gave him a wide smile before ducking back into the bathroom to spit out her toothpaste.

Blaine took the book with him to breakfast and was so busy looking through it that his mom had to remind him to eat something before they went back to their rooms to grab their bags and towels before they left the boat. Ethan and Vanessa shared a guilty look with each other. They were so happy to see Blaine happy, but knew his spirit was going to be crushed when they told him about the move and having to switch schools. They knew they should tell him sooner rather than later, but they didn't want to ruin his excitement over their snorkeling excursion because he had been talking about it nonstop for weeks.

…

Kurt rolled his eyes at breakfast. Finn had been talking ten minutes nonstop about the snorkeling excursion they were about to go on.

"Come on, Kurt! We're gonna see fish like at that McDonalds we stopped at in Akron after the Vocal Adrenaline concert last year. Remember?!"

With a forced smile, Kurt stabbed at the pieces of French toast on his plate and pretended like he cared. Finn had this childlike wonder about him all the time and Kurt often wondered if he had gotten dropped on his head as a child. This was something he planned on asking Carole at some point, but he figured the day after the wedding was not the best time for that.

As Finn kept talking animatedly, Burt slid an arm around his son and gave him a knowing squeeze. He leaned over and whispered into Kurt's ear, "Look, I know this isn't exactly your thing. So, just suck it up for the morning and I'll make it worth your while, okay?" Kurt chuckled quietly at his dad's bribe and the Hummel men were in agreement.

…

Those who were going on the snorkeling excursion had to meet at a designated area in Freeport so as to take a van to the beachfront location. The Andersons were the first people there, arriving their usual fifteen minutes prior to the meeting time. Each Anderson had a backpack filled with a water bottle, extra sunscreen, an umbrella, snacks, a first aid kit, a beach towel, his/her passport and other smaller personal items. Knowing he had some time before they actually left, Blaine sat on the ground near his parents' feet and continued to flip through the tropical fish field guide. Every now and again, he would pull at the collar of his t-shirt, anxious to be rid of it in a little while. Vanessa reached down and ran a hand through her son's hair, but he was too invested in his field guide to be bothered.

Finn Hudson led his family toward the meeting spot, though he wasn't carrying anything. Carole and Burt held hands as they walked toward the sign indicating where the van would be picking them up while Kurt brought up the rear, grumbling that if Finn was so excited to be swimming than he should be the one responsible for hauling all their towels and gear.

Once at the meeting place, Kurt unceremoniously dropped Finn's stuff in a pile at the taller boy's feet. "That's the last time I'm carrying your crap, Finn."

Blaine's ears perked up at the familiar voice. From behind his sunglasses, he peered over to see that of all the people on the boat who could have gone on the snorkeling excursion, the beautiful boy from the night before was there. Not wanting to come off as too excited, Blaine curled his lips in on themselves and tried to suppress a grin. He could not, however, conceal a chuckle and though he was fairly quiet, Kurt heard someone trying not to laugh through his nose but failing spectacularly.

Kurt turned quickly on his heel to see who was giggling at him, ready to shoot daggers with his eyes. It was too early in the morning and he was not dressed properly to engage in a battle of wits. His fiery gaze turned shocked just as quickly when he saw the boy on the ground who was getting a kick out of his and Finn's ordeal was a familiar face from the night before.

Blaine looked slightly guilty, having been caught laughing at Kurt's expense, but he was just really glad to see the other boy so soon and witness up close that the guy Kurt was with was definitely a family member and not a boyfriend. "Hey Kurt."

Ethan and Vanessa Anderson stopped talking and looked at each other with surprise before directing their attention down toward their son and then over to the boy he just addressed.

The taller boy's cheeked flushed pink as Finn, Burt and Carole turned toward him since they didn't know he knew anyone else on the cruise, let alone going on the same excursion as them. "Blaine! Hi."

Before anyone could say anything else, two vans pulled up to where both families and some other people were standing and honked its horn loudly. A guide in the first van stuck his head out the driver's window and clamored for everyone who was supposed to go snorkeling to get in.

As Blaine and his parents were among the shortest people on the excursion, they immediately climbed to the back of the van to give the people with longer legs more room toward the front. Kurt ended up squished in between Carole and his dad in the row of seats in front of the Andersons while Finn rode shotgun.

Kurt prayed to a god he didn't believe in that it was a short ride to the beach when he heard the woman he assumed to be Blaine's mom whisper to him about how he knew the boy sitting in front of them. He couldn't make out what Blaine said because Carole was leaning over and asking him pretty much the exact same question. The younger boy's cheeks flushed pink as he shook his head and mumbled something about the night before. To her credit, Carole realized she was embarrassing her stepson and quickly changed the subject, loudly asking her husband if he remembered to put on sunscreen before they left.

The rest of the van ride was mostly silent. Blaine's parents talked quietly behind his head about nothing in particular while the youngest Anderson kept his face forward, memorizing the back of Kurt's head. After twenty minutes of staring, Blaine was familiar with the blond and red strands that highlighted the other boy's otherwise chestnut colored hair. He smiled to himself as he watched Kurt shift around in his seat a few times, slightly guilty that the other boy knew he was staring but mostly wondering if their roles were reversed if Kurt would actively stare at him too. He thought probably not, but it was something to ponder as the van took them down the bumpy roads to the beach.

…

Once they arrived to their destination, the Hudson-Hummel and Anderson families were instructed to wait in a tent just off the beach until the other van full of excursion goers arrived. The Hudson-Hummels sat down at a picnic table and the Andersons sat at the table next to theirs, while Kurt and Blaine tried to covertly sneak glances at each other.

Carole was still very curious about how Kurt and this other boy knew one another, so she decided to start conversation. Looking at the woman she assumed to be this other boy's mom as they shared the same eyes and dark, curly hair, she commented on the jewelry around her neck. "That is a gorgeous necklace you have on. Where ever did you get that?"

The other woman smiled as she put a hand up to her neck. "Thank you!" The Anderson men grinned, proud of Vanessa. "I actually designed this." She reached across the gap between the picnic tables and held a hand out to Carole. "I'm Vanessa, by the way. And this is my husband, Ethan, and our son, Blaine."

Kurt immediately curled his lips under; uneasy with the fact that in a fraction of a second, he and Blaine were likely going to be questioned openly about how they knew each other.

Carole smiled in return and shook Vanessa's hand. "I'm Carole and this is my son, Finn." She pointed to Finn who was busy trying to fix a flip-flop he broke while getting out of the van. Shaking her head and chuckling, she proceeded with the introductions. "This is my _husband_," she said with a huge grin, "Burt and his son, Kurt." She leaned over and whispered loudly to Vanessa. "Burt and I just got married yesterday!"

Blaine couldn't help but smile, as he already knew about the wedding from his conversation with Kurt the night before. He tried to catch Kurt's eye so that no one else saw, but Burt saw and couldn't take it anymore of how this stranger seemed to know Kurt.

"So, Blaine was it? How do you know my son? You two go to school together or something?"

Kurt's eyebrows shot up, mortified that his dad would just go ahead and ask Blaine that. "Daaaaaaad," he hissed, but to no avail.

"Um," Blaine gave Burt a polite smile before quickly glancing over at his own parents, having not told them yet how he knew Kurt despite his mom asking in the van. "Kurt and I met last night." He looked over at Kurt for support, but was met with wide eyes. "At the, uh, LGBTQ meeting, sir."

Without batting an eye, Burt nodded his head as if this was actually the most logical thing he could have possibly heard. He had known Kurt was queer as a three-dollar bill since he was a toddler and though this other boy didn't look or sound like his kid, it didn't surprise him anymore when he met another gay person. Burt could tell he was terrifying to this other kid and made sure to smile and let him know that he didn't care one way or another if Blaine was gay or straight or whatever, he just found comfort in the fact that another boy Kurt's age seemed to be nice. "Cool. Kurt and I go to those PFLAG meetings sometime. It's nice they got stuff for you kids on the boat."

Blaine's eyebrows rose ever so slightly, almost in disbelief that Kurt's dad – who looked like he drove a truck or something – was so open and accepting. His own father was really great about him being gay, but he had never met another adult who seemed to have absolutely no problem that _his_ kid was gay. With a quick look over at Kurt, Blaine saw that though his cheeks were flushed, he was still able to shrug off Burt's comments; silently saying "That's my dad." At that, Blaine smiled a bit, feeling somehow that though this was all a little weird, this was likely going to be all right and hopefully he and Kurt would have their parents' permission to hang out some more seeing that everyone seemed to be okay with each other.

Ethan saw the exchange between his son and Kurt and did his best to hide a smirk. Blaine wasn't one to talk openly about feelings, but he could tell that there was something going on between Blaine and Kurt even if they couldn't tell it themselves. Turning to look at Burt, Ethan asked, "So, where are you folks from?"

"Ohio. You guys?"

With a chuckle, Ethan replied. "Same. Small world."

Before anyone else could ask another question, the other van pulled up to drop off the remaining snorkel excursion goers and everyone was required to pay attention to the guide. Both families listened intently at the rules and regulations of the equipment and where they would be swimming. Blaine's gaze followed the guide's fingers as he pointed out to a reef off shore. His hands clasped around his backpack, eager to pull out the tropical fish guide, but not wanting to draw attention to himself. Once the lecture was over, everyone was told to grab a pair of fins, a snorkel and mask, and a life preserver.

Kurt hung back a bit as the rest of the people picked up their equipment. He had convinced himself after breakfast that he was determined to enjoy the excursion. But, now that Blaine and their families were both there, he felt eyes on him and this wasn't the kind of spotlight he enjoyed.

"Bro, come on!" Kurt's attention snapped toward Finn as the taller boy held up a pink snorkel and mask. "Look, they have your favorite color."

Blaine was already walking down to the beach with his parents when he looked back and chuckled as Kurt grabbed the snorkel out of Finn's hand.

"Finn! Stop it. Pink is not my favorite color," he muttered.

Finn shrugged. "Well, they only had pink or yellow let, and I remember you once said that yellow doesn't go with your skin tone or something like that."

As much as Kurt wanted to smack Finn again, he could tell that his stepbrother was trying to do the right thing and it was actually kind of sweet. He grabbed the pink snorkel and mask out of Finn's hands, and then quickly picked out the remaining equipment he needed before following Finn down to the beach. The only remaining lounge chair left was next to where Blaine was sitting and he instantly wondered if that was on purpose (and if so – whose doing?).

Kurt set his bag and equipment down on the chair before gingerly sitting down. He smiled a little when he saw Blaine was nose-deep into some sort of book, as if he was trying to memorize something before they went in the water.

The guide had already waded in knee-deep and was motioning for everyone to come join him. Burt, Carole, Finn, Vanessa and Ethan began making their way down the beach, leaving the two boys at the chairs, knowing they would catch up soon. Blaine put his book in his backpack and stood up, immediately shedding the t-shirt he had on. He turned around to ask Kurt if he was coming and was met with a blank stare and an open mouth.

Blaine furrowed his brow as he motioned toward the water. "You coming?"

Kurt nodded quickly, hoping that was a good enough answer. He stood up, but refused to remove his shirt before clipping on the life preserver. Though he had already slathered on 100 SPF sunscreen before getting off the boat, Kurt refused to get even one freckle if he could help it. Plus, after seeing Blaine without a shirt, Kurt became even more self-conscious. Puberty was good to him thus far and he knew he wasn't completely unattractive, but there were a few faint bruises he hoped to keep covered up so his dad wouldn't get worried. Getting tossed into dumpsters and shoved into lockers at school was still a problem and he didn't want his dad to have any additional stresses after the heart attack he had a few months before.

Following Blaine down to the water, Kurt tried not to stare at the other boy too much. He kind of couldn't help it though – Blaine was an attractive person, but the kind of attractive person who obviously didn't know he was an attractive person, which was the worst kind of attractive person. There was a faint smattering of chest hair covering his upper torso while a trail of dark hair traveled below Blaine's belly button and into the mysterious abyss that was his brightly colored board shorts.

However, as the boys got closer to the water, Kurt noticed something on Blaine's back before the older boy put on his life preserver. Near Blaine's left shoulder, there was a white scar that stood out against his tanned skin. He couldn't be sure, but Kurt swore it was the letter "F" about the size of his hand. Soon Blaine's life preserver was on and Kurt quickly followed with his. Both boys slid their snorkel masks onto their heads, but not over their eyes as they both needed to see the guide as he was giving out the last of his instructions.

Everyone was told to put on their flippers and there were a few minutes of people laughing as they tried to balance on one foot and put their fins on in the process. Moments later, all the snorkelers were swimming out toward the reef, each person alone in their little world with his or her head in the water looking at the ocean floor below.

Kurt all but forgot about Blaine's scar as he took in the sight below the surface of the water. He didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't this – there were dozens of brightly colored fish and mazes of coral with various plants sprouting from around them. It was so beautiful and peaceful at the same time. All he could hear was the lapping of the water around him as other snorkelers made their way out further.

Blaine was in heaven. He had to catch himself from smiling too wide else he would end up with a snorkel full of saltwater. Though he had been on several cruises, this was the first time he ever snorkeled and it was definitely living up to his expectations. There were so many fish and he wished that his tropical fish guide were waterproof so he could have it with him right then to look up everything he was seeing. He started snapping pictures, grateful for several gigabytes of memory. It felt so good being out in the sun and in the water, knowing his family was nearby but that he could enjoy the solitude of swimming along at his own pace and taking in as much as he could.

After swimming around for what felt like forever but was only actually 30 minutes, Blaine finally stopped and took his mask off, looking around to see if he was still near the group. He was a few yards away from the closest person, but smiled widely when he noticed the bright white t-shirt and pink snorkel. Contemplating whether he should swim over and meet up with Kurt, he opted not to, seeing that the other boy seemed to be doing just fine on his own and also seemed to be enjoying his alone time.

Another hour passed and all the snorkelers had reached the reef. The guide called everyone to his attention and said that they needed to start heading back to shore because the vans would be back in a couple hours. Before everyone ducked back down into the water, Blaine swam over to his parents and thanked them again for allowing him to pick the excursion. They smiled and asked him if he was having fun and knew they didn't need a verbal response to tell that he was having the time of his life.

On the swim back, Blaine stopped short because he saw a stingray floating along the ocean floor below him. He took several pictures, hoping to get at least one good one out of the lot. Out of his peripherals, he saw a white shirt swimming a little ways a way. He slowly waved his arm under the water, trying both to get Kurt's attention and not scare away the stingray. Kurt saw him and made his way over to Blaine. Without a word, Blaine pointed down and Kurt followed his hand to the stingray making its way across some rocks. When it was far enough a way, Kurt and Blaine pulled their heads out of the water and took their masks off. Kurt smiled widely when he saw Blaine grinning like an idiot.

"How cool was that?!" Blaine asked with complete sincerity.

"That was pretty neat," Kurt replied. "Thanks for pointing him out to me. You having fun?"

Blaine nodded, drops of water raining down from his curls back into the ocean. "This is amazing. You?"

"Yeah. I am."

…

The boys swam back to shore at their own pace, but still mostly near each other. They had a half hour left before the vans were expected to arrive, so they returned their equipment and then went back to their lounge chairs to dry off.

As Kurt patted his hair dry, Blaine was quick to pull out his tropical fish guide. He called his dad over to point out everything he saw. Vanessa smiled to herself as she watched two of her favorite men talk animatedly as they hunched over Blaine's book.

Kurt pulled out multiple tubes of sunscreen and called out to his stepbrother. When Finn turned around, Kurt threw him a tube and told him to put some on so he wouldn't burn. Carole and Burt snuck a kiss as their sons bickered about skincare. It was a great start to their family vacation.

The van ride back to the boat was exceptionally quiet. Blaine fell asleep tucked into his mom's side, worn out from spending hours swimming in the sun. Finn snored softly from the front seat and Kurt snuggled up to his dad, knowing to keep quiet so as to let the others rest.

"That was actually really fun, Dad," Kurt murmured as he laid his head on his dad's shoulder.

Burt smiled. "Glad you liked it." He placed a kiss on his son's head. "I'm so proud of you, kid."

Kurt scoffed through his nose and rolled his eyes. "I didn't do anything."

Carole looked over and locked eyes with Burt as he sighed and answered his son. "Doesn't matter. I love you, Kurt."

With a smile, Kurt burrowed further into his dad's side. "Love you too, Dad."

When the van pulled back into the parking area near the boat, the sleeping boys were shaken awake by their parents before everyone climbed out. After stretching, Blaine and Kurt shyly smiled at each other.

"So, maybe I'll see you at the LGBTQ meeting again tonight?" Blaine asked Kurt.

Kurt looked up at his dad for silent permission to go again and was met with a nod. With a smile he said, "Yeah, I'll see you then."

The Hudson-Hummel clan headed back to the boat first, leaving the Andersons in the parking lot as Ethan dug around in his backpack for his passport.

"He's cute, Blaine," Vanessa said gently to her son.

Blaine was still looking at Kurt as the other boy walked further away. "Huh?"

A smile sprouted across Vanessa's face. "Kurt, B. He seems like a very nice boy."

Before Blaine could respond to his mother's comment, Ethan held up his passport. "Found it!"

The Andersons walked back to the boat in mostly comfortable silence.

…

The Hudson-Hummels sat around a table in a corner, eating their lunch and enjoying some more family time. Carole was thrilled how well all her boys were getting along and felt the family growing closer together. Kurt didn't even bother smacking Finn's hand away when he snuck a third French fry off his plate. He did kick him in the shin, though, after Finn asked loudly, "So what's up with you and that Blaine guy?"

After being forced to apologize to his stepbrother for the shin kick, Kurt looked around at the other three people at the table, trying not to answer Finn's question or at least hoping his dad would change the subject.

Burt didn't.

"Yeah. What's up with you and that Blaine guy?"

"DAD!" Kurt was wholly embarrassed and could tell that his dad was actually getting a kick out of it.

"What?" Burt asked. "Can't a dad know what's going on in his kid's life?

Kurt stabbed a piece of pineapple in his fruit salad and shoved it in his mouth to buy more time. "Nothing," he said while chewing before swallowing. "Nothing is up. We met last night and it's nice to have someone to talk to who gets it, okay?"

Carole shot a look at her husband before putting a reassuring hand on Kurt's arm. "He seems nice, sweetie."

…

"So, what's up with you and that Kurt kid?"

Blaine almost choked on his stir-fry at his dad's seemingly casual question.

Vanessa tried to come to her son's rescue while he took a sip of water, but she was curious too. "Ethan! You can't just ask him that while he's got food in his mouth. At least let him swallow before you grill him." Over his drinking cup, Blaine shot his mom a look causing her to chuckle. "I'm just teasing, B. We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to."

Blaine put his cup down and cleared his throat a bit. "I don't really want to talk about it, no." He played with his napkin a bit, but went on. "I mean, he's nice but it's not like we know much about each other or anything. So if you could please not make a big deal out of anything because nothing is up, okay?"

Ethan was surprised Blaine even said as much as he did and knew to back off. He instantly felt bad, knowing this vacation was meant for Blaine to have fun before he found out he was moving and being put back into public school. "I'm sorry, Blaine. You know you can talk to us about anything, though, right?"

With a nod and a small smile Blaine looked between his parents. "I know. Thanks."

…

After lunch, Kurt and Blaine asked their parents if they could go to the popular culture trivia on the upper deck. Wanting to appease their sons after making lunch awkward for them, they agreed. Finn asked Kurt if he could tag along and Kurt said yes, glad to spend some time with his stepbrother and secretly hoping that he would beat Finn in trivia seeing as the big oaf didn't know much about popular culture outside of video games and action movies.

Kurt and Finn sat toward the front of the room, grabbing pencils and paper from a table in the center of the aisle. They sat down and talked about a glee club assignment they were supposed to do the following week when they heard someone ask politely, "Um hey guys. May I join you?"

Blaine wasn't expecting to see Kurt and Finn at trivia, but it was kind of nice seeing familiar faces in a room full of strangers. He had a genuine smile on his face when the other boys turned around after asking if he could sit with them.

"Yeah man, have a seat!" Finn said as he waved Blaine over.

Blaine gave Finn and Kurt an even bigger grin as he walked around the row of booths and slid into an open seat near Kurt. "Thanks! So, you guys like trivia too?"

"Kurt does. He's probably going to win since he knows a lot about pop culture and stuff."

Kurt's eyebrows rose as his stepbrother's response, not expecting him to answer so candidly.

Blaine chuckled, "Oh is he? Well, we'll see about that."

Before they could chat some more, it was time for trivia to start.

Fifteen minutes and twenty questions later, it was time to tally correct responses. Though Blaine and Kurt were seated near each other, each boy kept his answer sheet hidden so as not to let the other one see how well (or not) he was doing.

As the answers were read, smug smirks appeared on both Kurt and Blaine's faces. Finn was happy he had gotten a handful right, but he snuck a peek at Kurt's answer sheet and knew Kurt had 18 out of 20.

The cruise staff member asked if anyone got a perfect score and no one answered. Blaine frowned a bit when it was announced that someone got a 19. He knew that the trophy was a piece of crap, but he liked winning things and hoped that his 18 would at least get him a medal.

So, when the cruise staff member asked if anyone got an 18, Blaine smiled and thrust his hand up into the air. His smiled dropped a bit when at the same time, Kurt placed his arm up and said loud and clear, "I did."

Blaine and Kurt turned toward each other and then quickly eyeballed each other's score sheet to make sure the other person hadn't cheated. They were the only two people to get 18 correct, so they were both called up to the front of the room. A medal was placed around each boy's neck and Blaine couldn't help but grin as it was explained that the victors could not take the medals off from around their necks, else they would have to sing "I'm a Little Teapot" for anyone who saw them. He didn't even have to look at Kurt to know the other boy was not looking forward to keeping the crappy medal around his neck for the duration of the day.

When trivia was over, Blaine turned to Finn and Kurt and asked what they were up to. Kurt looked down at his watch and then almost ashamedly back at Blaine and said he needed to go meet Carole for a spa appointment. Blaine was not one for facials or pedicures, but he would never judge anyone who did enjoy that and gave Kurt as friendly a smile as he could to relay the reality that Blaine didn't think any less of him for going to the spa. Finn yawned and said he was going to go back to their room to nap before dinner. Blaine decided he would go grab a book from his room and read. He knew he would likely find his dad on the Serenity deck and even though he knew it was for people 21 and up, he could probably get away with reading out there too.

The three boys split up with Kurt and Blaine quietly reminding each other that they'd see each other later for the LGBTQ meeting.

…

Kurt was almost embarrassed at the groan that fell from his lips as the masseuse rubbed the tension from his shoulders. He was also glad they were allowed to remain fully clothed.

Carole laughed from the table next to his. "Feel good, sweetie?"

"Oh my god, we need to do this when we get back to Lima."

There were a few moments of silence before Carole spoke again. "I'm glad we're getting to do this together, Kurt. It's nice to get to spend time just the two of us."

"Me too." There was a beat before Kurt asked quietly. "Carole?"

"Yeah, bud?"

"You're not going to get mad at me if I don't call you 'mom' are you?"

Carole stilled and turned to silently nod her masseuse out of the room to give them a minute. The masseuses just shrugged, knowing they would get paid regardless and they left quietly. Kurt sat up and looked around curiously, wondering why the massages stopped. He then saw Carole looking over at him with a very motherly look on her face.

"Kurt, sweetie, you never have to call me 'mom' if you don't want to. I know I'm not your mother and I'm not here to replace your mother, okay?" She waited until he nodded before she continued. "But I hope you know that you can talk to me about anything. Just because you're not my biological son doesn't mean I care about you less than I care about Finn."

With a tear in his eye, Kurt nodded, grateful for the reassurance that Carole didn't see him as anything less than her own child. Carole got up from her table and sat down on his, wrapping protective arms around him in a loving squeeze. She could feel the tension dropping from Kurt's shoulders and tried to ease it even more by making a joke about the medal still around his neck.

"So… what event did you win this for?"

Kurt held the medal in his hand and looked down at it. "Oh. Pop culture trivia. I came in second. Well, tied for second with Blaine."

"Oh," Carole said with a little surprise. "Blaine was at trivia too? That's nice."

"Carole…"

She kissed him on the top of his head and gave him another squeeze. "Kiddo, I'm not going to ask you about him. But if you ever _want_ to talk about boys or anything, I'm all ears."

Kurt smiled, knowing she was telling the truth. "Thanks."

…

With his copy of _The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay_ in hand, Blaine made his way up to the Serenity deck and confidently walked his way to an open lounge chair near his dad.

"Hey buddy," Ethan said with a smile as he set down the latest Stephen King book.

Blaine smiled at his dad as he toed off his sandals and laid down. "How's the book?"

"So far, so good," Ethan replied. "It's just nice having some free time to read, you know?"

With a nod, Blaine agreed. "Where's mom?"

"In the room. She wanted to grab a shower before dinner."

The Anderson men slid into an easy silence as they both cracked open their books.

Unknowingly, Blaine began to fiddle with the medal around his neck while he read. It didn't bother Ethan, but after awhile he just got curious.

"What's with the medal, B?"

"Oh," Blaine said as he looked down at the medal in his hand. "Trivia. I got second place. Well, tied with Kurt."

Ethan rested his open book against his chest. "So, Kurt was at trivia too?"

"Dad –"

The Anderson patriarch held a hand up, silencing his son. "I'm not trying to start anything, B." Blaine rolled his eyes at his dad. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said at lunch. But your mother and I just want you to know that if something is going on with Kurt, or if you wanted to talk about anything, you can come to us, okay?"

"I know, thanks."

"We want you to have fun on this cruise Blaine –"

"Dad!"

Ethan laughed. "That's _not_ what I meant, kiddo. But since _your_ mind went there maybe we should have a little talk later."

"DAD!"

"Blaine, son, we love you. We trust you. And we know you're not the kind of kid who would just throw himself around like that. But if you want to spend some time with Kurt, we understand, okay? He's a nice boy and it seems like the two of you have some things in common." Ethan sighed, wishing his son didn't feel like he was always alone when dealing with his problems. "I get it, you know. How it's easier to talk to people your own age about that kind of stuff. Your mom and I aren't mad you went to that meeting last night and we're kinda glad you've decided to go again tonight. We'll even go with you if you want."

The youngest Anderson was floored. "Wow – I mean, thanks, Dad. You guys don't have to go. It's just that I kinda was going with…" Blaine blushed because he was embarrassed to bring up Kurt's name again after his dad's little speech.

Ethan smiled. "It's fine, kid. You don't have to explain. Enjoy your book, yeah?"

Blaine nodded dumbly and looked back down at the book in his lap. "Yeah."

From his lounge chair a few feet away, Burt Hummel smiled knowing the kid his kid was hanging out with seemed to have a good head on his shoulders and a supportive family behind him.

…

Blaine and Kurt laughed as they almost literally ran into each other in the hallway before heading up to the LGBTQ meeting.

"Hey, where's your medal?" Blaine asked as he and Kurt made their way upstairs.

Kurt shook his head. "If you think I'm singing 'I'm a Little Teapot' for you, then you are sorely mistaken. I can't believe you still have yours on."

"Rules are rules, Kurt," Blaine pointed out as they climbed the steps two at a time together, with Blaine having to make a little extra effort since his legs were definitely not as long as Kurt's.

"That may be, Blaine, but the red, white and blue stripes on the ribbon part did not go with this shirt," Kurt replied, motioning to the light purple button up top he changed into.

They're smiles fell when they heard a voice they both wished to forget.

"Hey sexy. Back for round two?"

Kurt and Blaine stopped in their tracks as Sebastian walked toward them just outside the doors to the lounge from the meeting the night before. Once again, Sebastian had his eyes on Kurt and was glancing at him repeatedly from head to toe, sizing him up and mentally making note of where he'd like to see less clothes on the younger boy.

"Please don't call me that," Kurt muttered as he brushed past Sebastian with Blaine following right behind him.

Kurt purposefully crossed the room and sat down on a two-seated couch. Blaine quickly slid into the empty seat next to Kurt so Sebastian couldn't sit next to him.

With a short laugh, Sebastian sat on the arm of the couch by Kurt and draped himself over the back. "Come on, you know you're hot. What do you say we lose the third wheel and have our own _meeting_?"

"Hey!" Blaine pivoted himself toward Kurt and glared at Sebastian, hoping the smarmy boy would stop because he was obviously making Kurt uncomfortable. "Stop it. Please?"

"Ooooh, I see someone likes to beg," Sebastian replied with delight. "Maybe the hobbit wants to visit my Shire, if you know what I mean…"

Before Kurt or Blaine could say anything else to Sebastian, Kyle picked up a microphone and went up to the front of the room. He reintroduced himself in case there were any new people who weren't there last night and said that that night's meeting was going to get started. Before he sat down, Kyle told the group to get excited because there was going to be a dance on the last night of the cruise. This announcement made Kurt think of his upcoming junior prom and it bummed him out a bit. He turned toward Blaine to see if he was happy about the dance and instantly became worried. Blaine started breathing really heavy and it looked like he was in some sort of trance. Kurt didn't know if Blaine was having some sort of health problem or if he needed to alert someone. Sebastian didn't seem to notice Kurt's attention was on Blaine when he leaned in front of the younger boy and started telling him that he couldn't wait to dance with him. Kurt shoved Sebastian away and turned back toward Blaine.

"Blaine? Can you hear me?" Kurt's voice was loud, but patient.

Blaine's chest kept heaving in and out with each deep breath he was taking.

Afraid to startle Blaine, Kurt knew he should probably get him out of that room. He gently went to put a hand on Blaine's back when the older boy suddenly flinched and gasped loudly. He looked at Kurt with panic in his eyes and Kurt felt terrified and confused.

Kurt quietly asked Blaine if he needed to get out of there and though the nod was small, it was good enough for Kurt. He stood up and waited for Blaine to do the same. Together, they walked slowly out of the room, leaving Sebastian to look on in disgust.

When they got to a couch out in the hallway, Kurt stopped and sat down. Blaine slowly eased himself down next to Kurt, but sat as far away from him as possible. It took a few minutes for Blaine's breathing to even out, but Kurt waited silently the whole time, wondering if there was anything he could do or say to make Blaine feel better. He chose to wait it out silently, hoping Blaine would come around. They still didn't know each other that well and Kurt didn't want to do something that would trigger Blaine so soon after whatever just happened.

Blaine got himself under control and felt wholly embarrassed that he lost it like that in front of Kurt. He didn't usually like to talk about it, but felt that he owed Kurt an explanation.

"Thanks, Kurt. I'm – I'm sorry about that. You probably want to get back to the meeting, but – "

"Blaine, no!" Kurt was quiet, but insistent. He wanted to reach out and put a reassuring hand on Blaine's arm, but was afraid to touch him after the whole flinching incident just minutes before. "Please, you don't have to apologize. I just – well, are you okay?"

Blaine let out a humorless laugh and surprised himself when he answered honestly, "No."

"Do you want to… talk about it?" Part of Kurt wished Blaine wouldn't, but a larger part of him hoped he did.

With a half smile as he contemplated his answer, Blaine countered with another question. "Can we get some fro-yo?"

The boys silently walked up a flight of stairs to the twenty four-hour frozen yogurt and soft serve machines in one of the dining areas. Kurt normally would not eat dessert past 10:00pm, but he was more than willing to eat a cone with Blaine if that's what it took to help the other boy find peace.

After making their cones, Blaine and Kurt walked out onto the deck and found an empty table far away from everyone else. They looked out at the water and up at the night sky, which was nearly pitch black except for the hundreds of stars dotted across the horizon.

The silence wasn't awkward and Kurt was content to just sit there with Blaine. He didn't know how his presence could possibly be helpful, but it felt good knowing that maybe, just maybe, him being there was enough for the time being.

Blaine finished his cone first. He sat back in his chair and scrubbed his hands across his face and tangled his fingers in his hair. It was an odd feeling, as he had gotten so used to all the gel. A chuckle escaped his lips even though nothing was even remotely funny.

"I got beat up… after a dance."

Kurt was chewing on the last bite of his cone and was thankful he had something in his mouth so he didn't accidentally ask the wrong thing. Instead, he hoped Blaine would continue.

He did.

"It was freshman year of high school. I went to a Sadie Hawkins Dance with my best friend Jackson. He was the only other gay kid I knew. We weren't dating or anything, we just wanted to go to the dance, you know?"

Kurt nodded as he swallowed the mouthful of cone.

"So, we were in the parking lot waiting for his dad and these three guys, they… they beat the living crap out of us."

Kurt's eyes grew wide. He had gotten pushed around, but never beat up.

Blaine chuckled as he kept running his hands through his hair. "The thing was, we didn't even dance at the dance because we were so nervous. And then these guys… oh, man. One of them had a baseball bat and he just kept swinging. Jackson somehow managed to get away and get help, but I… I mean, I blacked out after they smashed my hip, but I woke up in the hospital with a fractured wrist and some stitches. One of them musta had a knife 'cuz I have… well, for starters I have this on my forehead."

With a shaky hand, Blaine pushed back the curls above his left eye, revealing an inch-long scar near his hairline. Kurt felt sick to his stomach, and almost choked when he remembered the scar on Blaine's back from earlier and how he flinched when Kurt went to touch him. He wondered if that was from the same attack.

Somehow Blaine must have known what Kurt was thinking because he saw Kurt eye his left shoulder and tears well up.

Blaine asked in a soft voice filled with shame, "Did you see it? At the beach, did you see it?"

A tear quickly found its way down Kurt's cheek as he nodded slowly.

Drips fell down Blaine's face and onto his thigh as he hung his head down, unable to look up at Kurt. "Yeah. It's not quite the scarlet letter, but – uh," another humorless laugh escaped his lips. "It's not exactly a badge of honor either." He wiped the tears away from his face before forcing himself to sit up. "At least they didn't get to the A and the G, right?" Another lifeless laugh rang out in the darkness.

"Blaine," Kurt murmured.

"I don't want your pity, Kurt," Blaine said angrily, though his frustration was not aimed at the younger boy.

"Blaine, please," Kurt said softly. He knew Blaine was upset, and rightly so. It wasn't fair that he got beat up for just being himself. Kurt didn't have pity for Blaine – if anything, he was empathetic. "I get it. Okay?" He waited until Blaine looked him in the eye before repeating himself. "I get it."

Fresh tears welled up in Blaine's eyes as he recognized the pain behind Kurt's. Blaine leaned forward and flung his arms around Kurt's back and they pulled each other into a tight hug. Both boys needed to be reassured as much as they wanted to reassure the other, so they stayed wrapped in each other's embrace for a few minutes until both of them managed to calm down.

It was Kurt who spoke up first. "Gosh, we're a mess, aren't we?"

Blaine genuinely chuckled as he pulled back and gave Kurt a small smile. He didn't know why he just poured out his past to someone he only knew for a day, but somehow it felt right. "Thank you."

Kurt shook his head, "I didn't do anything."

"You listened, Kurt," Blaine explained. "Thank you."

Kurt looked down at his watch. "I still have a little while before my curfew. You wanna walk around for a bit? Work off those fro-yo calories?"

Blaine smiled and said, "I would love to."

…

The pair of boys walked aimlessly around the various decks, avoiding other people at all cost if they could. The started talking about nothing in particular, but somehow Blaine managed to get Kurt to open up a bit. When Kurt told him before that "I get it," Blaine was instantly concerned that he was bullied too.

Kurt was hesitant to tell Blaine what he was dealing with, as it was nowhere near as severe as what Blaine went through. Blaine told him, though, that abuse from kids at school wasn't something that people can just compare as any bullying was too much bullying and that no one should go through that.

It shocked Blaine at the ease at which Kurt told him about his own personal circle of hell, care of one of the football players on Kurt's school's team. Apparently the offender's name was David Karofsky and he was an in-the-closet case who made it his goal to torment Kurt every chance he got. Blaine felt sick as Kurt recounted when he finally plucked up the courage to confront Karofsky, only to be violently kissed by the football player.

Blaine's blood boiled even more when Kurt revealed that post-kiss, Karofsky amped up his malice toward him. Locker shoves and dumpster tosses gave way to open threats that Karofsky would kill Kurt if Kurt told anyone about the kiss.

"Kurt, you gotta tell your dad!" Blaine was insistent in his pleading.

The younger boy shook his head. "I can't let my dad get involved. He had a heart attack a few months ago and he can't take the stress. Plus, if Karofsky hasn't killed me yet, I'll probably be okay."

"PROBABLY?!" Blaine was getting more animated as his level of disgust increased. "Kurt, you shouldn't have to put up with this."

"And you shouldn't have had the start of a gay slur carved into your back, but sometimes we just have to deal with things, okay?"

Both boys stopped walking as they instantly fell silent.

"I'm sorry," Kurt apologized quickly. "God, I – I should not have said that."

Blaine shook him off, "I'm an idiot. I'm sorry too. I can't believe we're fighting. I just – I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"So, you're sorry?" Kurt asked with a hint of tease in his voice to diffuse the tension.

…

The journey back to Kurt's room was mostly quiet. The gap between them from the night before was reduced from a foot to mere inches as they walked.

"My family is going to the beach tomorrow morning," Blaine said as the started down their hallway.

Kurt smiled, "Maybe I'll see you there. I think my dad and Carole mentioned the beach during dinner. If not, maybe we can try and meet up tomorrow afternoon or something. I wanted to walk around Nassau and get some souvenirs for my friends."

Blaine smiled, "Yeah, that'd be nice. Though hopefully I'll see you sooner than that." He blushed a little as he confessed, "You know, I'm really glad I met you, Kurt."

Seeing someone blush over him was almost too much for Kurt to handle. He tried to keep his excitement at bay as he replied, "I'm glad I met you too."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Blaine."

With another smile, Blaine bit his bottom lip before forcing himself to turn around and walk down the hall to his room. Fighting with himself, he snuck a peek back at Kurt's door over his shoulder to find the other boy was still half in the hallway watching him walk away. Kurt flashed him a little wave before grinning and ducking into his room. Blaine felt his heart leap as he turned back around, thinking about how much he was looking forward to more time with Kurt the next day.

Once in his room, Kurt was glad Finn was already asleep because he didn't want to have to explain why he couldn't stop smiling.


	3. Tuesday

A/N: Reviews/Criticisms are greatly appreciated :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

* * *

TUESDAY

Breakfast was a blur as Kurt was internally panicking that he actually got see Blaine again and that Blaine seemed to like spending time with him. This was also the first time he was actually excited about going to the beach. Usually he did everything he could to stay out of direct sunlight, but the thought of going swimming with Blaine and getting to hang out with him made him feel a kind of joy he had never felt before.

Blaine knew his parents were watching him as he downed a second stack of pancakes. Vanessa and Ethan spoke the night before and were debating if they should just go ahead and tell him about the move before they went to the beach so he would have a few days to adjust to the idea. But, upon seeing him so happy and knowing it was because he had made a new friend, they decided maybe they should wait so as not to ruin the moment. They hadn't seen Blaine this cheerful in awhile and it would have broken their hearts and his if they went about it the wrong way.

It was by random happenstance that the Hudson-Hummels and Andersons all ended up in the elevator bay at the same time. Hands shook and beach plans were solidified as the group made their way off the boat. Kurt and Blaine were unable to hide their smiles when they saw each other, causing both sets of parents to share looks with their significant others. Burt Hummel made a note to talk to Ethan Anderson about their sons and what part of Ohio their family was from. He liked seeing his kid happy and if spending time with this Blaine kid could put that kind of smile on his face, he was willing to pay for gas money so Kurt could visit with him.

The cab to the beach was much like the van ride from the day before. The Andersons piled into the back of the minivan and the Hudson-Hummels took the middle and front seats. Chatter was amicable among everyone in the cab as they quickly made their way to a gorgeous public beach. Everyone scrambled out of the cab and Burt and Ethan each insisted on paying for everyone. The stalemate ended when Carole pointed out that one of them could pay then and the other could pay for the cab ride back to the boat later. Vanessa shot her a knowing smile and the two of them linked arms and chuckled as they walked toward the beach, leaving their husbands behind.

The families rented a few lounge chairs and an umbrella apiece so as to have somewhere shady to leave their things while they swam. It was understood that at least one person would always stay behind with their belongings so nothing got stolen. The grownups agreed to take the first watch, so Finn, Kurt and Blaine set their bags down and began taking off sandals.

Kurt hesitated as Finn and Blaine quickly shed their t-shirts, but slowly peeled his off as well. He looked over at Blaine who gave him a warm smile. Blaine made sure to keep his eyes locked on Kurt's so as not to weird him out by ogling his body, but Blaine definitely noticed that Kurt was as beautiful on the outside as he was on the inside.

Together, the boys ran down the beach and into the small waves that were crashing on the shore. As soon as he was a few feet out, Blaine dove headfirst under the water and started swimming as fast as his arms and legs would allow. Kurt giggled as Finn tried to catch up with Blaine while he himself waded out, letting each new wave splash the base of his swim trunks. Soon Finn and Blaine were a dozen or so yards away from Kurt, treading water as they took in the morning sun.

"Come on, Kurt!" Finn called out, splashing around, much to Blaine's delight.

Normally he'd be annoyed, but Kurt just smiled as he kept walking until his feet could no longer touch the ocean's floor.

Kurt eventually made it out to where Blaine and Finn were floating around and the three of them fell into easy conversation. It turned out Blaine was in the glee club at his school and very into football, which lead him and Finn to have a heated debate over what the Buckeyes should do differently that fall in order to ensure a winning season.

It didn't bother Kurt that Blaine was talking with Finn more during their swim than he was with him because he knew they would talk later. He was actually content to watch his stepbrother and this new, amazing person he just met converse with each other. Kurt wasn't sure how being brothers with Finn was going to be, but he had to give the other boy infinite amounts of credit for seemingly not caring one way or another that the two boys he was hanging out with right then were gay. He almost couldn't believe that this was the same person who used to throw around words like "faggy" just that past year.

The boys swam around for almost an hour when they made their way back to shore to get a drink. Though it was only almost 11:00am, the sun was hot and high in the sky, though there were clouds forming off in the distance.

After rehydrating and applying another coat or two of sunscreen, Blaine and Finn decided to play some Frisbee on the beach. They tried to get Kurt to join in, but the sun was getting to be too much for him, so he told the other two to have fun but that he was going to read under the umbrella.

Ethan and Burt both fell asleep on their lounge chairs with open books lying across their chests. Carole and Vanessa were getting giggly as they chatted with each other. Each woman treated herself to a refillable coconut shell-full of some brightly colored alcoholic beverage. They sipped their tropical drinks and gabbed about life, grateful for some girl time when they were usually surrounded by the men in their lives.

Pretending to flip through his _Vogue_, Kurt was paying more attention to Blaine and Finn on the beach than the trends for what was in that summer. Every now and again, one of the boys would burst into a fit of laughter or have to chase the Frisbee into the waves that were getting larger and larger as the tide rolled in. Kurt watched as Finn flung the Frisbee over Blaine's head and into a group of college-age girls who were laying out a ways down the beach.

Ever the gentleman, Blaine apologized to the girls when he went over to get the Frisbee. Kurt was too far away to actually hear what was said, but as Blaine reached down to grab the disc, he saw one of the girls run a hand up and down his arm and say something to Blaine while she tossed her hair. In his lounge chair, Kurt squirmed as a stab of jealousy danced cruelly across his heart. He saw Blaine smile politely at the girl and walk away, as if that was just something that happened and he was expected to be okay with it.

A few minutes later, a different group of girls walked by where Finn and Blaine were playing. Coconuts in hand, a few of them lifted their sunglasses as they passed Blaine. They were close enough to Kurt this time for him to hear one of them whistle at Blaine and call him hunky. Kurt's cheeks flushed red with anger as Blaine's tinted pinker than they already were with embarrassment, but Kurt's frustration lessened slightly when he saw Blaine look up at him and smile apologetically.

Kurt realized he didn't really have a right to be upset. They weren't together or dating or anything. They were two people who had met a couple days prior and that didn't give Kurt permission to get jealous when other people hit on Blaine, although he couldn't help but find it frustrating. He tried to rationalize with himself that Blaine was gay and it shouldn't matter if girls were attracted to him because Blaine wasn't attracted to them, right? But why was everyone hitting on Blaine all the time? The only person who ever hit on _him_ was Sebastian, and Sebastian was an asshole.

Frisbeeing came to an end when the sky got real dark and ominous clouds started moving closer toward the beach. Vanessa and Carole gently shook their husbands awake as their sons started packing up their things to head back down to where they could grab a cab to return to the boat. On the trip back, the families decided that they would all go to their respective rooms to shower and change clothes before they regrouped for lunch together.

Kurt and Finn waved goodbye to Blaine as they keycarded their way into their shared suite. Finn threw his backpack in a corner and flopped down on his bed while Kurt went into the bathroom to change out of his swim trunks. Though the door was closed, he could hear his stepbrother shout from the other room.

"Blaine's really cool!"

A wide smile crept across Kurt's face as he tried to fix his hair.

…

During lunch, everyone started talking over each other with regard to the plans he or she had in mind for the afternoon. Finn wanted to go to some sort of 21 and under club on the boat he read about in that morning's "Fun Times." Carole and Vanessa made plans to get mani-pedis at the spa together. Burt asked Ethan if he'd like to grab a drink at one of the bars on the lower deck. Kurt and Blaine were given permission to go back into Nassau to walk around and go shopping, so long as they were back on the boat by 7:00pm in order to meet their families for dinner.

…

Vanessa and Carole swore they were sisters in a past life. Conversation was easy and they had so much to gossip about their husbands. Though most of the alcohol from the beach was out of their system, they were still giggly like high school girls as they swapped tips on how to keep their love lives interesting.

However, while they waited for their toenails to dry, topics switched to their children and the tone got more serious when they found that both their sons had problems with bullies.

"I know there is more going on at school than Kurt let's on, but we can't get him to talk," Carole said with a sigh.

Vanessa nodded, "Blaine was the same way. Ethan and I didn't know how bad it actually was until it was too late. When we got the phone call that he was in the hospital. Well, you can imagine that was the worst moment of my entire life." She shook her head. "I don't understand how someone can beat a fifteen year old within an inch of his life because he went to a dance with a boy."

Carole gritted her teeth. Kurt might not be her biological son, but if someone ever did that to him, she knew she wouldn't be able to control her actions.

"He's different now, though," Vanessa said quietly. "Blaine. He's quieter and more reserved." She looked over at Carole and smiled. "Seeing him with Kurt is actually the happiest I've seen him since that night. I haven't seen him smile like that since before the dance."

"Same goes for Kurt, though. Poor kid's been through so much this year. Burt had a heart attack in the fall and the doctor's weren't sure he was going to make it," Carole explained. "I know he gets picked on at school. Finn told me he saw Kurt get shoved into some lockers, but when I asked Kurt about it, he just changed the subject. It's sad, but I've gotten used to him shutting me out. But these last couple days... it's like he doesn't have to worry about being himself."

…

"The first round is on me," Burt told Ethan as they sat on adjacent bar stools.

Ethan was confused, but agreed with Burt because the other man didn't look like someone you should defy. "All right."

Burt flagged down the bartender and ordered them some beer before turning back toward Ethan. "I'm not going to beat around the bush, but I think our kids like each other. And, I was on the deck reading yesterday and overheard you and Blaine talkin' and I just wanted to say that I was glad to hear that you're okay with your boy being… well, you know." Burt nodded, not feeling he needed to say the word for Ethan to get what he was talking about.

The bartender set bottles of beer in front of each man and Burt slid a few bills across the bar to cover their drinks and tip.

"I'm not gonna lie. I was a little surprised when Blaine came out a few years ago because I honestly had no idea," Ethan confessed. "I mean, it didn't matter to me because he's my kid and I love him no matter what, but I was upset with myself because I just didn't know. He never talks about those kinds of things with me. Or his mom. I gotta admit, though. It's kind of nice to see him opening up around your son."

Burt chuckled. "Yeah. But it's weird though, right? I mean, I've never seen my kid flirt with anyone." The two men smiled as they drank their beers. "So, you guys are from Ohio too?"

Ethan nodded as he swallowed. "Yeah, near Columbus." He looked at his watch. "Although as of right now, our stuff is probably at our new house." With a sigh he continued, "I got promoted to partner at my firm and we're relocating. We haven't told Blaine yet."

Burt shrugged, "Eh, new house. That might throw him off for a bit, but I'm sure it's not the end of the world."

"We're also pulling him out of the private school he's been at for the last two and a half years. The place we had to send him to after he got the shit beat out of him when he was a freshman."

"Oh," Burt said with realization of how big the move likely was. "You gotta tell him."

Ethan shook his head. "Vanessa and I – we were going to tell him this morning, but we didn't want to ruin his mood. He was just so happy and we haven't seen him like this in so long… We're terrible parents."

Burt scoffed, "No. You're not. The terrible parents are the people who raised whoever beat up your kid." He sighed through his nose before downing another gulp of beer. "Kurt gets bullied at school too. Hasn't gotten beaten up yet, but I know it's a lot worse than he tells me."

"Any private schools in your area?"

With a shake of his head, Burt muttered, "No. The best one is Dalton, but that's a couple hours away and we can't afford to let Kurt board there."

"It's a great school. Blaine's the lead singer of the glee club there. Or, _was_, I guess," Ethan said with a humorless chuckle. "God, he's going to hate us. I mean, he was safe there, but he wasn't _happy_. Maybe he'll come around?"

"Look, I won't say anything to Kurt about this so he won't accidentally say anything to Blaine. But you gotta tell him, because he'll need to talk to someone about it," Burt said seriously. "And that someone is not going to be you or your wife."

Ethan sighed, knowing Burt was right. "Another round?"

…

Blaine was not much for shopping, especially in crowded touristy places, but he gladly followed Kurt into any store he wanted to go into because each time he agreed, he was rewarded with the sweetest little smile as if Kurt couldn't believe Blaine would actually say _yes_.

Though they went in more than several stores, Kurt didn't buy anything right away because he told Blaine he had to see what his options were before he made any sort of final decision as to what to get his friends back in Ohio. Blaine chuckled at Kurt's seriousness about the specificity of the gifts he wanted to get and kinda thought it was really cute. Kurt's face flushed a deep pink when Blaine told him as much, having never been called cute by a cute boy before.

They left the area of Nassau with the shops and started walking into the actual town part of the city where there were old buildings and not as many people. Not really having an agenda and with plenty of time to spare, they strolled up and down side streets, looking at the architecture and commenting on the pastels used to cover the walls of the structures in town. The sky was still dark from earlier, though neither Kurt nor Blaine had the foresight to bring an umbrella.

Without any real warning, a flash of lighting appeared in the distance and moments later, thunder clapped loudly. Kurt gasped at the noise causing Blaine to stop and look over at him to make sure the younger boy was okay. Just as Kurt was nodding to assure Blaine he was actually fine, fat raindrops began falling from the sky.

Slowly at first, but then faster and faster, the rain began to pour down on the boys. Instinctively, Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and they started running toward the nearest shelter. They ended up under the awning of Nassau's Public Library, breathing heavily, having sprinted almost fifty yards. Hands still clasped, their breathing evened out but their hearts kept racing. Kurt had never held anyone's hand like that before and it was scary, but in the best way possible.

Blaine was almost embarrassed because even at eighteen, he had never been kissed, let alone held hands with a boy he liked. But Kurt's hand was warm, albeit wet from the rain. They locked eyes and in that moment, Blaine felt safe and terrified at the same time. His eyes flickered briefly down to Kurt's lips, but then just as quickly back up again to the orbs of blue, green and gray that he selfishly wished he could look into whenever he wanted. He wanted to kiss Kurt. He wanted to kiss Kurt so bad, but he didn't want to do it wrong or mess up whatever they had going.

Kurt wanted to kiss Blaine. But he saw so many feelings flashing across Blaine's hazel eyes at once that he wasn't sure if Blaine would want to be kissed by him. Kurt had had his first kiss with a boy forced upon him. He didn't know Blaine's full back-story, but he wasn't about to kiss someone he wasn't 100% sure wanted to kiss him back. He asked himself why would Blaine want to kiss someone like him back, anyway?

And so they stood there for a few seconds, staring into each other's eyes. Water dripped slowly down Blaine's face and onto his neck, disappearing into the collar of the gray t-shirt he changed into before lunch.

A bell clanged nearby and they quickly dropped hands, the moment gone. They smiled awkwardly at each other before Blaine looked over and saw where they were. He liked libraries and since they were already there, he asked Kurt if he wanted to go in. The younger boy acquiesced, wanting for a fraction of a second to flee back to the boat, but wanting to do something for Blaine since the older boy had patiently followed him into any shop he had asked just an hour before.

They climbed the steep and creaking staircase up to the main floor of the library, taking in the sights and smells of old and mildewing books. Kurt watched in admiration as a small smile found it's way to Blaine's face. He could practically feel Blaine's excitement to be surrounded by so many books even though Blaine thought he was successfully reigning in his emotions. Kurt could tell that despite his obvious good looks, Blaine didn't seem to like drawing attention to himself and it made him wonder why someone so extraordinary would shy away from the spotlight he so rightfully deserved.

The boys spent a decent amount of time in the library, which also happened to be home to a small history museum. Kurt watched Blaine stare reverently at the artifacts that were almost haphazardly displayed as if they were precious gems. What Kurt didn't know was that when he wasn't looking, Blaine stared at him that way too.

When Blaine finished looking at everything at the museum and library, the boys made their way back toward the touristy area again so Kurt could finalize the purchases of souvenirs for Mercedes and some of the other glee club kids. As he watched Kurt hem and haw over which trinket would be best for each of his friends, Blaine shoved his hands in his pockets and thought to himself how he didn't have anything like that. Blaine had friends at Dalton – he was friendly with some of the other Warblers – but he didn't have anyone that he was close to and hadn't had someone like that since Jackson. He thought maybe Kurt could be that person for him, but then shook himself off because he couldn't expect Kurt to feel that way about him since they had only known each other a couple days.

…

Kurt and Blaine got to the boat just before 7:00pm and knocked on Carole and Burt's door to let them know that they were back before doing the same at Ethan and Vanessa's suite.

As Blaine walked Kurt back to his room, Kurt stopped them in the hallway. "Look, I don't know about you, but I don't really want to go to that LGBTQ meeting tonight." Blaine raised his eyebrows. "I was thinking that maybe, I mean if you wanted, we could just hang out or something."

Blaine smiled, "Yeah. Yeah, I would really like that."

After taking a deep breath, Kurt said softly, "And, um, I was going to ask my dad if maybe I could have a later curfew tonight. Would that… would that be all right?" An almost instantaneous nod from Blaine let Kurt know that his plan was more than fine. Kurt smiled shyly. "So, meet back here around 10?"

…

Kurt was so focused on making sure to say the right thing when asking his dad about the later curfew that he didn't even bother chastising Finn for finishing off his dessert.

"Uh, Dad?"

"Yeah, bud?"

Kurt folded his hands against the edge of the table. "Since I have been responsible with getting back to my room on time the past couple nights, I was wondering if perhaps tonight you might extend my curfew an hour or so."

Burt shrugged, having assumed Kurt would ask this at some point. "Yeah, okay."

"I mean, I feel that I – wait what?"

With a chuckle, Burt patted his son on the back. "I said yes. Carole and I talked it over before dinner and decided that you and Finn can both stay out a little later tonight. So, be back in your room by 1:00am, okay?"

Kurt and Finn looked at each other, almost in disbelief that it was that easy to get an extension.

"Really?! Thanks mom!" Finn hugged his mom. "Thanks, Burt!"

Blaine was sitting across the room with his parents, but clearly saw the thumbs up Kurt flashed him as the Andersons finished up their dessert.

…

Walking around the boat deck once more, Kurt and Blaine were close enough that their hands would brush against each other every now and again. The first time it happened that night, it was definitely an accident, but when neither boy had issue with it, each made sure it happened again and then again.

Kurt couldn't tell if he really had feelings for Blaine or if he just was feeling that way because he was spending so much time around another boy who also liked boys. Trying not to over think things, Kurt tried to just be in the moment and enjoy the little touches – pretending that this was what it would be like in a couple years when he went away to college.

Somehow in their travels, Kurt and Blaine ended up outside of a club on the boat where the thumping bass could not be contained behind its closed doors.

Blaine looked at Kurt nervously before he blurted out, "I want to go in."

With a confused look on his face, Kurt asked, "Really?"

The older boy nodded as he rubbed his sweaty palms on the front of his cargo shorts. "Mmm hmm." He looked forlornly thought the club's doors at the sweaty dancing people inside before turning back toward Kurt. "I'm an adult. I don't want to be scared when dancing around large groups of people."

Kurt immediately thought it was a bad idea, but didn't want to stop Blaine from trying to overcome something that was obviously still bothering him as per their conversation the night before. Trying to be a good friend, Kurt opened the door to the club and motioned for Blaine to step inside.

The music was loud and Kurt could feel the drum beat in his throat. Strobe lights flashed silhouettes of flailing arms and grinding bodies on the walls. He briefly closed his eyes and opened them to find Blaine starting to bop along to the pulsing music.

They danced near each other, but not together, as Blaine kept looking around to make sure no one was going to hurt him. After fifteen minutes or so, Kurt grabbed Blaine's arm and motioned that he needed a drink. There were too many people in there and Kurt was not dressed for that kind of group activity.

Blaine nodded and walked with Kurt to the bar, not wanting to get separated. Just as Kurt was about to order a bottle of water, shots were placed in front of him and Blaine. Kurt looked up in alarm to find that it was someone's bachelor party and they just so happened to be at the bar when a round of shots were ordered for anyone standing in the vicinity of the celebration.

The last time Kurt had alcohol, he threw up all over his guidance counselor's shoes. He had made a vow to never drink again, but when he saw the rebellious look in Blaine's eyes, they picked up their shots. With a quick toast, each boy threw back the shot in his hand and grimaced at the burning sensation that was racing down his throat. A second round of shots was poured and the boys shrugged before gulping down what tasted like fire.

With a little liquid courage in his system, Blaine began to open up on the dance floor. It may have only been two shots, but his body became less rigid and the proximity he was keeping between he and Kurt all but vanished. They weren't grinding or anything, but Blaine's hips shimmied as he waved his arms in unadulterated glee. Blaine felt free and Kurt felt oddly empowered because another boy was dancing with him on purpose. He wondered if Blaine liked him, or if the other boy was just enjoying being around another gay kid and that kid just happened to be Kurt.

Kurt tried to not think about it. Blaine was already attractive, but there was something about the way his eyes sparkled when his body moved freely that made Kurt's heart race. Kurt allowed his eyes to close as he let himself move with the music. When he opened them a moment later, he frowned because Blaine was no longer in front of him – Blaine was being pulled over by a group of girls whose skirts were leaving little to the imagination. Kurt couldn't tell if it was the shots or the jealousy that was making his face flush.

Blaine chuckled and shook his head, trying to tell them above the music that they weren't his type. When one of the girls began running her hand down Blaine's chest as he continued to shake his head, Kurt grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back toward the bar.

"Can I get a bottle of water, please?" Kurt asked the bartender before turning to Blaine to see if he wanted anything. Before he could get his question out, the bartender leaned over the bar toward Blaine and purred, "Anything for you, sexy?"

That was it. Kurt rolled his eyes and turned away from the bar without even waiting for his bottle of water. Pissed off, he stormed toward the club's entrance with Blaine several steps behind him. Though Blaine was calling out to him, Kurt didn't stop until he was out on the boat's deck and could suck in fresh air. He glared at Blaine, angrily. "You didn't have to follow me, you know. You could have stayed in there with your precious fan club."

Blaine's face was still red from the two shots and dancing. His eye scrunched up in confusion. "My what?"

Kurt shook his head in frustration. "Do you really not get it? All _day_, Blaine. Those girls on the beach. Those girls in there. Even that bartender." He barked out a cruel laugh. "Why are you following me when you could literally be spending time with anyone else?"

"Kurt, what are you talking about? I want to spend time with you!"

"But you're so – " Kurt couldn't find the words as he pointed at Blaine, "and I'm just –." He motioned to himself with a look of disgust.

"Just _what_, Kurt?"

"_Nothing_," Kurt muttered. He didn't mean that he was nothing, he was just trying to drop the conversation he really regretted starting in the first place. The younger boy turned to start walking down the deck when he felt Blaine quickly grab his arm.

"Hey!" Blaine called out (much too loudly since it was just the two of them). "Hey." Kurt took a deep breath and forced himself to look up at Blaine's pleading eyes. "You're not nothing."

Kurt shook his head, "No, I know. When I said 'nothing' I didn't mean _I_ was nothing, but… look, can we just drop this? Maybe I should just go back to my room." He tried to pull his arm out of Blaine's grasp, but the older boy kept hold, albeit gently.

"Stop, please," Blaine begged softly. "Will you at least look at me?" It took a lot for Kurt to not tear up as he slowly met Blaine's gaze. "What's going on?"

"I think I like you," Kurt started with a sigh. "But, I mean, I don't know if I like you for you or if I'm feeling this way because you're the only other gay guy I know who isn't, well, you know, repulsive."

Triangular eyebrows slid up and underneath the raven curls that hung damp with sweat, covering Blaine's forehead. "You… like _me_?"

Kurt couldn't understand why Blaine sounded so astonished. Everyone seemed to like Blaine, even strangers. He was the most attractive guy Kurt had ever seen in person and he had people hitting on him all day.

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"It's just that – I mean – I really like _you_, Kurt," Blaine sputtered.

Kurt ripped his arm out of Blaine's grasp like what he said was some sick joke. "But you're – "

Blaine threw his hands up, so confused. "I'm _what_, Kurt?"

"ATTRACTIVE!" Kurt spat out. "You're, like, the alpha gay, okay?" He wasn't mad at Blaine. Not really. He knew it wasn't Blaine's fault that he was genetically blessed with gorgeous eyes and curly hair that Kurt's fingers were aching to run through. "And I'm – I'm –" He desperately tried to think of the right word to express his own discontent with his less than perfect appearance.

"Beautiful." Blaine plead softly, not knowing whether he was more upset that Kurt was yelling at him over something he didn't agree with or that Kurt thought so little of himself.

There was silence between them as they both looked at each other in disbelief. The only sound for a few moments was the slosh of water against the boat.

Blaine's head was spinning. He was still feeling the effects of the shots they took in the club and he was trying to process the conversation he and Kurt were having. Though he wasn't usually one to open up about his feelings, he knew they needed to talk so they could move forward with whatever was going on between them.

"If it's okay with you, I think maybe we should go somewhere and talk some more," Blaine suggested.

With slight reluctance, Kurt nodded in agreement.

…

They both agreed they should probably eat a snack to have something in their stomach besides alcohol, so they grabbed a few slices of pizza and glasses of water from the dining area before heading back out to a secluded table on the deck.

Blaine watched as Kurt dabbed his pizza with napkins, soaking up the excess grease before Kurt picked up his slice and took a sizeable bite. As he chewed, he looked over at Blaine and saw that the other boy was staring at him intently. Too tired for manners, Kurt muttered, "Would you stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" Blaine countered as he pulled a piece of pepperoni off his slice of pizza and popped it in his mouth.

"Like I'm worth looking at or something," Kurt replied sarcastically through his mouthful of pizza.

The older boy smiled sadly, wishing Kurt would stop thinking he wasn't good enough to be wanted. "But you are, Kurt. And whether you believe it or not, I'm probably going to keep looking at you like this." Blaine then thought about what he said and realized he didn't want to force himself in any capacity onto Kurt, remembering what Kurt told him about Karofsky the night before and how Kurt had responded so defensively – and rightly so – against Sebastian's advances. "I mean, if that's okay with you. I do like you, Kurt. But I respect you enough to walk away now if you want me to."

Kurt swallowed as he shook his head. "No. You said we should talk. So keep talking," he said. "Please?

Blaine took a sip of water as he gathered his thoughts. He figured he might as well lay everything on the line. Though he had only known Kurt for a couple days, he really thought that whatever they had was at the very least the start of a lasting friendship. They were both from Ohio and with cell phones and Skype, they could make whatever this was last past the cruise.

"After what happened at the dance, I closed myself off to a lot of people," Blaine started. "I mean, there are other out guys at my school and some of them have… asked me out." Kurt wanted to roll his eyes. _Of course_ other guys have asked Blaine out. Blaine saw the look in Kurt's eyes and continued. "Look, it's not like that. I've actually… never really had a boyfriend before." Blaine looked into Kurt's eyes and tried to convey the rest of his embarrassing lack of social life story without having to actually say it out loud.

"Well, neither have I," Kurt said as he shrugged, like Blaine should have known that that was the obvious response he was going to get.

Blaine nervously ran a hand up the back of his neck and into his hair, reluctant to go on, but knowing he should be completely honest with Kurt. "What I'm trying to say, Kurt, is that I've never even… been kissed."

Kurt's eyes grew wide and his pizza slice was abandoned on his plate. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked softly.

Blaine blinked slowly as he took a deep breath. "It's just that, you seem to have this ridiculous idea that I'm, I dunno, some sort of _experienced _person and I just needed to you know that I'm… not." He sighed. "After what happened with Jackson, I just shut everyone out. I thought it would be easier to just _not_ feel. But then I saw _you_, Kurt, and I got to know you a little bit and I just… I don't want to be afraid to feel things anymore."

The younger boy didn't know what to say. He normally would ramble and crack snarky jokes to fill the silence, but he was too busy looking at Blaine. It terrified Kurt how vulnerable the other boy looked, having just put his heart out there for Kurt to do with it what he wanted. This information was his for the taking and it seemed to be up to his whim what he could and would do with it.

"Oh," was all Kurt could manage to say.

…

Picking at their pizza in relative silence, there was an unspoken agreement that they would just head back down to their respective rooms. The night definitely wasn't turning out how either boy thought it would, but as mortifying as it was to bare a usually hidden part of himself, Blaine was glad he said what he said. They still had one more full day on the ship and he thought perhaps maybe he and Kurt could salvage what was left of their friendship and use that to forge ahead in keeping in contact once the cruise was over.

Downstairs, they caught up to Finn in the hallway outside of his and Kurt's room, trying to unlock the door. Finn was obviously drunk and Blaine tried to hold him up while Kurt keycarded his way into the suite. With Kurt's help, Blaine managed to walk Finn inside the room and get him to lie down on his bed.

"Thanks," Kurt muttered appreciatively to Blaine as he yanked Finn's shoes off.

"Of course," Blaine responded, hoping Kurt would understand that he would do anything for him.

It took a couple minutes, but Kurt and Blaine got Finn tucked in bed. His loud snores punctuated the otherwise quiet room.

Blaine looked at Kurt, wanting to say something profound, but coming up short. He wanted to spend more time with Kurt, but was still not entirely sure what Kurt thought about everything he had said earlier. He slowly backed toward the door. "I should… go. I should, I should go."

Kurt went to stop him, but stopped himself because he still didn't know what to say.

"See you tomorrow, maybe?" Blaine asked, his voice tinged with hope. When Kurt nodded, Blaine flashed him a small smile before letting himself out of the room.

Quietly shutting the door behind himself, Blaine leaned against its wooden frame and slammed his eyes closed, wishing their time together that night could have gone better.

…

After double-checking that Finn was all right, Kurt allowed himself a fairly lengthy shower. He stood under the poorly pressured flow of water until his skin felt raw, and then he got out and did his full nightly moisturizing routine. While he was taking off the last of his night mask, he thought long and hard about what Blaine told him. Kurt realized it wasn't fair of him to assume that Blaine had this wonderful social life just because he looked a certain way. He wanted to smack himself for being so superficial and wished he could take back the accusations he flung so freely.

Once he was done in the bathroom, Kurt climbed into his own bed and wished for dreamless sleep.

He tossed and turned for what felt like forever when sleep never came.

…

Blaine turned on his phone and saw it was nearing 1:00am. He chuckled sadly to himself when he remembered that was the curfew Kurt had to adhere to that night. But, instead of spending time with each other, each boy was in his own room and Blaine blamed himself. Though he was glad he was honest with Kurt, he almost wished he had kept his mouth shut about his inexperience because he assumed that it just made things worse – like it was his own fault for not having a boyfriend because apparently people were throwing themselves at him.

Since sleep would not come, Blaine sat up in his bed and read another few pages of the book he had been reading. Just as he was to start another chapter, he heard a faint knock. Thinking it must have been on someone else's door, he kept reading. However, when a louder knock sounded a few moments later, he climbed off his bed and made his way to the door.

After turning the lock, Blaine opened his suite's door a crack and found himself face to face with Kurt.

"Hey," Kurt murmured as he bit his lip.

"Hi," Blaine responded, opening up his door a little wider. He didn't know why, but he looked up and down the hallway to make sure it was empty before he asked, "Um, you want to come in?"

With a small nod, Kurt stepped into Blaine's room and waited for Blaine to shut the door behind him before he started talking. "Listen, I'm really sorry about what I said and, well, what I didn't say, earlier."

"Kurt, you don't have to apologi-"

"No, I do Blaine. Let me finish?" Kurt requested. "Please?"

"Okay, but…" Blaine looked around his room, but didn't think it'd be wholly appropriate if they sat on his bed. He pointed toward the balcony door. "You wanna sit out there?"

Soon they were seated next to each other, overlooking the ocean. The water was still and the sky was black.

There were a few minutes of silence before Kurt finally spoke up. "I'm sorry, Blaine." The older boy looked toward Kurt and saw the younger boy looking at him. They locked eyes briefly and Blaine didn't respond because he could tell Kurt had more to say. "I shouldn't have gone off on you like that before. That wasn't fair and I wish I could take it back." Kurt looked down at his hands. "Since you were so honest with me earlier, I feel like I owe you an explanation or something in return."

"Kurt, no –"

Kurt held up a hand and flashed Blaine as confident of a smile as he could muster. "I believe I asked you to let me finish?" Blaine sat back in his chair and did everything he could to keep his mouth shut while Kurt kept talking. "It was just really hard for me to see everyone hit on you today because I've never had that kind of attention. Well," he stopped to chuckle bitterly, "I guess there was that Sebastian guy, but he's a creep." Kurt sighed before he continued, "Anyway. I was jealous. I mean, I know we're not together or anything, but to those other people, it was like I didn't even exist." Blaine wanted to speak up, but he bit his cheek and kept quiet because he knew he shouldn't talk until Kurt granted him permission. "But then when we were arguing and you said that you liked me… I didn't handle that well because, well, I didn't think that it could be real." Kurt dared to glance over at Blaine and saw he was basically bursting at the seams to say something, which made him chuckle. "I can tell you want to interject, so I guess I'm done. For now," he teased gently.

Words started pouring out of Blaine's mouth because he couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Kurt, you shouldn't need the validation of drunk strangers for you to know that you are an extraordinary person and I do like you." Blaine paused to catch his breath before he finished slowly, "I really, _really_ like you. And it's not because you're the only nice, handsome gay guy I met on this boat. It's because you're _you_."

Kurt's mouth dropped open, still in awe how Blaine could just say something like that and actually mean it.

Blaine reached over and gently took Kurt by the hand. He laced his fingers slowly through Kurt's, giving the younger boy the time and freedom to pull away if he wanted before their hands were completely intertwined. A shy smile formed when he felt Kurt tenderly squeeze his hand, acknowledging that what Blaine did was more than all right.

They sat, contentedly, in silence for a few minutes, each savoring the feeling having a strong, sure hand holding his own.

It was Kurt who broke the silence again. "This is going to sound silly," he confessed, "but I've always wanted to hold someone's hand like this. I just didn't think it would happen until college."

Blaine felt his heart swell and for some reason, he grew bolder. "Same here, actually." Slowly, he lifted their joined hands to his mouth and placed a gentle kiss on Kurt's knuckles. In the darkness, he heard Kurt's breath hitch.

With a soft sigh, Kurt wiggled back in his seat, completely comfortable to be in the moment with Blaine, but a little sad about how great this was but was likely something he would never experience back home.

Blaine could sense that Kurt was conflicted about something. "What's wrong, Kurt?"

The younger boy shook his head, "It's not you, I promise." Both boys let out soft chuckles through their noses. "It's just that, my junior prom is next week and… god, I shouldn't be complaining about that right now."

"No, I want to know. Please?" Blaine rubbed his thumb over Kurt's knuckles, hopefully encouraging him to continue.

"It's just that, I've always wanted to hold hands with someone in the hallway," he said as he shook their joined hands a bit. "And I've always wanted to slow dance with someone at prom. But I can't do that at my school. I mean, I don't have anyone to do those things with anyway, but even if I did, I'd still get shoved into lockers and called names. You know?" Kurt winced, recalling Blaine's traumatic post-dance experience. "I'm sorry. Of course you know."

Blaine frowned. "You have every right to want to go to your school dance, Kurt. It shouldn't be like that. We shouldn't have to be afraid to do normal high school things."

A tear rolled slowly down Kurt's cheek. "Thank you."

Blaine didn't know Kurt was crying until he heard a sniffle in the silence.

…

They sat hand in hand on Blaine's balcony for a little while, but then it got surprisingly chilly. Neither wanted to get up, but each boy was covered in goosebumps.

Eventually, they stood and Blaine walked Kurt to the door. They dropped hands and instead wrapped their arms around each other in a tight embrace.

"Stay," Blaine whispered in Kurt's ear. "Please?"

They slowly pulled away from each other and their eyes locked. Hazel eyes plead for Kurt to agree and the younger boy immediately gave a small nod.

Kurt told Blaine he would be back in a minute before slipping out of the older boy's room and down the hall to his shared suite with Finn.

Opening the door as quietly as possible, Kurt grabbed a notebook and pencil off the counter near his bed and stepped into the bathroom. He sat on the toilet seat and wrote out a note for his stepbrother explaining that he and Blaine had found him drunk and put him to bed and that Kurt was spending the night in Blaine's room and for Finn not to tell their parents or else Kurt would let it slip about the drinking. He felt a little guilty blackmailing Finn, but Kurt thought it was his only option in the moment.

Kurt placed the note on top of Finn's phone (since he knew he would have to look at that to shut off the alarm Kurt had set) and then checked his hair before he snuck back out of the room and down the hall.

…

Blaine was sitting on his bed staring into space when the soft knocking sound brought him back to his present. He couldn't believe he asked Kurt to spend the night, but was equally shocked that Kurt agreed. Though Blaine liked Kurt and was technically an adult, there was no way he was ready for any kind of sexual relationship. Panicking about how he was going to relay that truth to Kurt, Blaine got up off the bed and crossed to the door to let the other boy in.

As soon as Kurt stepped into the room, he took one look at the bed and blurted out, "We're not having sex." His face quickly turned a bright shade of red, but it was something that had to be said.

Blaine burst into a fit of laughter and felt a wave of relief wash over him as he reached toward Kurt and pulled him into another hug. "Oh my god, I was going to say the same thing, but I didn't know how!"

With the tension gone, the boys climbed into bed and lay facing each other, smiling like idiots.

"This is kind of weird," Kurt said, causing Blaine to chuckle and agree.

"Yeah, a little." Blaine shrugged, "But, I'd rather be with you than by myself right now, so I'm okay with weird."

Kurt smiled and slid a little bit closer to Blaine. "Hi."

"Hi," Blaine parroted with a shy grin before pulling his bottom lip in between his teeth. "Um, I feel like since we've both been being really honest with each other tonight that I should tell you about something from this afternoon."

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed, not quite sure if Blaine was hinting at something good or bad. "Oh?"

"Um, when it started raining and we ran for cover and ended up at the library," Blaine said slowly. "I wanted to kiss you so badly."

Oh. Apparently it was something good.

"Really?" Kurt asked, as his heart began racing.

Blaine nodded, shyly, not even trying to be coy because it was just more important for him to speak his mind.

Feeling brave, Kurt slid a little closer. "Oh. Well… why didn't you?"

The older boy's tongue involuntarily swiped across his own bottom lip as his eyes flickered back and forth between Kurt's darkening eyes and his perfect pink lips.

"I told you, Kurt," Blaine said softly. "I've never been kissed before." Blaine leaned toward Kurt ever so slightly. "Which means I've never kissed anyone before." He asked in a completely serious tone, "I didn't want to do it wrong. I mean, what if I'm no good at it?"

Instead of responding with words, Kurt closed the gap between them and placed his lips gently against Blaine's. The older boy gasped slightly before he let his eyes slide shut. Kurt's hand found its way to cup Blaine's cheek, caressing it before he pulled his mouth away from Blaine's.

Not knowing where his confidence was coming from, Kurt leaned in again, mouth hovering near Blaine's, and whispered, "Very good, Mr. Anderson. Would you like to try again?"

Blaine chuckled and surged his lips forward, trying to just be in the moment as opposed to over thinking if he was doing it right.

Filled with euphoria, Kurt and Blaine eventually separated and felt content to just stare at each other from their respective pillows. Each knew how easy it would be to keep going as far as their bodies would let them, but knowing that he would respect himself less for getting too carried away on his first night with another boy.

Blaine set the alarm on his phone for an ungodly early hour, having convinced Kurt to watch the sunrise with him on his balcony before Kurt would go back to his and Finn's room.

After a chaste kiss goodnight, Kurt turned off the light. In the darkness, their legs tangled and arms were draped across each other. Despite the new sleeping arrangements, sleep came easy to both Blaine and Kurt.


	4. Wednesday

A/N: Reviews are welcome :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee

* * *

WEDNESDAY

McKinley High School's gymnasium was covered with sparkling crepe paper and there were balloons raining down from the ceiling. Kurt looked around and saw all his friends from the glee club smiling and cheering him on. Mercedes called out and started pointing behind him, like he was supposed to turn around and see something.

Or someone.

Kurt spun on his heels, holding a hand up to steady his Prom King crown. Laughing as he slid the golden halo up off his forehead, his eyes lit up when he saw Blaine walking toward him.

The older boy was dressed to the nines in a form fitting tux and smart looking bowtie. His curly hair was straightened out a bit and gelled back, making him look like he stepped out of the 1950s or something. Blaine crossed toward Kurt, with a hand held out. "May I have this dance?"

Kurt blushed but immediately accepted. "You may."

Hands clasped, Blaine pulled Kurt close to him and it seemed like everyone else disappeared. As they swayed together, Blaine sang along to the song that was playing over the loudspeakers.

_"… We can dance, until we die, you and I… we'll be young forever. You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream, the way you turn me on. I can't sleep. Let's runaway and don't ever look back, don't ever look back."_

Blaine's voice soon morphed into that of Katy Perry and Kurt's face scrunched up in protest. "No, I want _you_ to keep singing to me, Blaine, " he mumbled in his sleep as Blaine fumbled to turn off his phone's alarm. He would have been more embarrassed, but "Teenage Dream" seemed oddly fitting when he looked down at Kurt and thought how falling asleep with someone so wonderful had always been one of his own teenage dreams.

Blaine reluctantly flipped on the bedside lamp, squinting when the light brightened the room. However, the older boy couldn't help but smile as he watched Kurt try to snuggle closer into his side. As much as he enjoyed watching Kurt sleep, the sun was due up in a few minutes and Blaine really wanted to share that with Kurt.

"Kurt," Blaine said softly as he gently nudged the other boy. "Hey Kurt… it's time to wake up."

The younger boy took a moment before opening his eyes to try and quickly piece together what was real and what was not. The school dance was obviously a dream, but that voice – Blaine's voice right then – that was real. And the up and down motion of the warm body he seemed to be pressed against was real too. Kurt Hummel just spent the night in bed with another boy – that was something that happened.

He also knew a lamp had been turned on, so Kurt took his time opening his eyes to adjust to the light in the room. As his eyelashes fluttered open, his blue eyes met hazel and he almost had to catch his breath.

Blaine was leaning up on his elbow and looking down at Kurt. His shy smile, surrounded by a dusting of stubble, was impossibly cute and borderline unbelievable. Kurt wanted to reach up and run a hand through Blaine's curly mess of bedhead, but he somehow managed to restrain himself.

"Hi," Kurt whispered, voice thick with sleep.

"Morning." Blaine bit his lip. "Did you, um, still want to watch the sunrise with me?"

Kurt thought it was adorable how nervous Blaine was when he asked that question, like he actually thought Kurt was going to say _No_ even though they just spent the whole night sleeping on each other. His first instinct would normally be to tease or sarcastically comment that he was content to wake up that early but didn't want to bother with looking at the probably gorgeous sunrise, but Kurt held his tongue. Blaine was looking at him with such hopeful eyes – being completely vulnerable in the moment, whether he knew it or not – that Kurt could only swallow and give a small nod. Though it was already discussed that they liked each other, Kurt was still so unsure of what was going on between them because it was just all so new to him to be on the receiving end of any sort of non-platonic affection.

Soon they were seated on Blaine's balcony, their chairs pressed close together and hands entwined.

The sky was already stunning with shades of blues and pinks as the sun made its presence known at the horizon. Both boys could feel that this was more than just the dawn of a new day.

Feeling the weight of the moment, Blaine looked down at their clasped hands. He was so overwhelmed by how perfectly their fingers slotted together and how even though it was such a new experience for him, Kurt's hand in his already felt natural – like it was specifically meant to fit there.

Kurt saw Blaine out of the corner of his eye and bit the inside of his cheek, not knowing how he was supposed to react. His heart was both bursting with exponential happiness, but breaking at the same time because this was their last day together for the unforeseeable future. Their schools were almost a couple hours apart and he didn't know Blaine's stance on whether he wanted to actually pursue some sort of… something. Having never been in this situation, Kurt was unsure if what he and Blaine had was considered a relationship or if that was something Blaine even wanted with him.

Blaine could feel something shift in the way Kurt's hand was holding his and looked up to find the other boy trying not to make it obvious that he was looking at him. "What?"

The younger boy wanted shook his head. "Nothing. I'm just," he shook his head and sighed, "I'm just really glad to be here right now. With you."

A warm feeling spread across Blaine's chest as he took in Kurt's words, feeling pleased with himself for reasons he didn't quite know. He brought their hands up to his lips so he could give Kurt's knuckles a gentle kiss like the night before. Kurt smiled at the gesture and gave Blaine's hand a reassuring squeeze.

They sat in silence and watched the sun. Each boy had a hundred questions to ask the other, but neither wanted to disrupt their peaceful morning by saying the wrong thing.

Eventually, Kurt spoke up. His voice was laced with regret as he said, "I should probably go back to my room. Finn might still be asleep and if I can get in there before he wakes up than I'll be completely in the clear with our parents." When he continued to ramble, Blaine held back a small smile. "I mean, I don't think he'll tell on me, but I also don't want to owe him forever because you know he'll hang this over my head as long as he can and –"

"Kurt," Blaine interjected softly. "It's okay." He wanted Kurt to stay, but if _he_ wasn't ready to face the Inquisition that would be his parents, he assumed Kurt wouldn't want to have to explain anything to his family when the fact was that nothing happened. That wasn't the whole truth, though because a lot actually happened and Blaine was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he got his first kiss and slept – actually _slept_ – with someone. It was the first time he felt brave enough to open his heart up to someone else and let him have the opportunity to handle it however he wanted. Blaine was eternally grateful that the person to whom he entrusted this incredibly fragile and almost broken entity was Kurt.

Together they stood, hands still wrapped around one another, and walked back into Blaine's room. Reluctantly, Kurt pulled the handle down and opened the door. He took one step out into the hallway before turning back around to face Blaine.

"Dad and Carole said we had mandatory family time this morning, but I can't wait until tonight to see you again." Blaine's cheeks quickly became stained pink. "There's, uh, trivia this afternoon where we had it yesterday. We can meet there. I mean, if you want to."

Blaine nodded. "Yeah. I mean, of course I want to."

Kurt smiled, "See you later then." His eyes darted down to Blaine's lips the exact moment Blaine's lowered to his.

They hesitantly leaned toward each other, Blaine's head tilting ever so slightly because that's what he remembered seeing people do in the movies and on television. Taking in a quick breath, Blaine's eyelashes fluttered shut and soon his mouth found Kurt's… knuckles. Confused, the older boy's eyes snapped open and found himself staring at Kurt's fingertips. He pulled back as Kurt guiltily removed his hand from in front of his mouth.

"I didn't brush my teeth yet," Kurt whispered sheepishly. He knew he ruined the moment, but would have been mortified to kiss Blaine with anything less than minty-fresh breath.

Blaine bit back a smile and leaned in again. Kurt jerked back slightly on instinct, but melted into the touch of Blaine's lips gently landing on his cheek. Smiling, he wrapped his arms around Blaine's back and hugged him closely. They stayed like that for several moments before Kurt finally allowed his arms to drop. With a smile, he walked backward, unwilling to let Blaine out of his sight for any longer than he had to. When he finally reached his own door, he waved to Blaine before turning around to let himself quietly back into his room.

Preoccupied by thoughts of Blaine, Kurt failed to notice the empty room service tray that had been hastily placed in front of his dad and Carole's suite just a few doors down the hall.

…

Once inside his room, Kurt breathed a grateful sigh that Finn was still asleep. He quickly crossed to where Finn's phone was resting on the counter by his bed and grabbed the note he had written the night before. Tiptoeing to the bathroom, Kurt shut the door behind him and looked at the note. Part of him wanted to keep it, as a memento of the first night he and Blaine spent together, but a larger part of him thought that he should probably destroy all evidence because no one but he and Blaine needed to know what did or did not happen. Plus, the note was blackmail against Finn and if he wanted to keep his own secret safe, he should probably let Finn get away with his drunken escapades. Kurt tore the note into the tiniest pieces be possible could before brushing his teeth.

When he was finished in the bathroom, Kurt lay down on his bed but he couldn't sleep. His mind wandered to Blaine and he tried to think of how he could broach the topic of what was going on between them and if Blaine wanted to continue that post-cruise. Though deep in thought, he was not so far gone that he didn't hear a piece of paper being shoved under the door.

Kurt got off his bed and went over to the door, bending down to pick up the paper. It was a note from Carole. Apparently she and Burt already had breakfast so the boys were expected to get breakfast on their own and meet them on the top deck for a family game of mini-golf at 10:00am.

…

Vanessa knocked on the door to her son's room and was instantly greeted with a wide smile and a big hug.

"Morning, B," Vanessa chucked as she embraced her youngest son. "Someone must have slept good. Did you and Kurt have fun last night?" Blaine tensed in his mother's arms, wondering frantically how she knew about their night together. "You must know the whole boat like the back of your hand by now with how much you two have been walking around."

Blaine exhaled a breath he didn't even realize he was holding. He remembered that he told her at dinner the night before that Kurt was asking for a curfew extension so they could hang out a little bit longer than they had the previous couple nights. He explained that they liked to walk around and talk, blushing when he admitted that it was really easy to talk to Kurt. It almost surprised him how encouraging his parents looked when he asked if it was okay that he was spending so much time with Kurt and they immediately said yes.

"Yeah," Blaine said as he ended their hug. "We had fun. Walking around, I mean. It was great."

The Andersons went to breakfast, though it was oddly quiet for most of the meal. Vanessa and Ethan kept eyeing each other, trying to somehow telepathically tell the other one to bring up their relocation and his school transfer. They were flying into Columbus the following evening and it would be bad form if the first Blaine heard about their new house in Lima was when they pulled into the driveway.

"Blaine, sweetie," Vanessa started slowly, "we have… something to tell you."

Ethan's eyebrows slid up as he watched his son look back and forth between his parents, completely clueless about what he was about to be told.

"Yeah?" Blaine asked, beyond confused and now horrendously worried that his parents were going to spring some sort of horrific news on him. He wracked his brain, trying to figure out what they could be so hesitant to tell him. Blaine put his fork down, assuming the worst. "Is someone dying? Does someone have cancer?" He tried to read the truth in his mom and dad's eyes, but was coming up short. "Mom?"

"No, bud, it's just that… your dad and I wanted to spend some time with you this morning." Vanessa chickened out. "We're going to go to the art auction as a family, okay?"

Blaine was still confused. "O… kay." His eyebrows furrowed, unsure why his mom would phrase it like that. Going to the art auction was not a big deal, because it sounded like whatever his mom was going to tell him was going to be some sort of game changer and an art auction definitely wasn't that.

Ethan clapped a hand on his son's back and gave him a smile. "Great. That's settled." Blaine nodded slowly as he picked his fork back up and slowly stabbed a piece of waffle. His dad startled rubbing circles on his back, like he was trying to make him feel better about something, but as far as Blaine knew everything was still fine even though his parents were acting weird. "Oh, and we're meeting up with Kurt's family for lunch later."

…

Finn and Kurt found their parents waiting on a bench on the upper level of the deck at 10:09am.

"Sorry we're late," Kurt apologized as he greeted his dad with a hug. "Finn needed a third bowl of cereal."

"No worries, kiddo," Burt replied as he gave his boy a squeeze, grateful his son was the kind of guy who still gave hugs. "Now who's ready to get their ass handed to them?"

Carole rolled her eyes at her husband before giving her own son a good morning hug and kiss on his cheek.

The course was only nine holes and there were no other people up on the deck, so they decided to play twice through in order to get a proper 18-hole game in. For some reason, they were letting Finn keep score. His math wasn't terrible, but he kept misplacing the tiny pencil.

During one of the frequent lost pencil breaks, Carole sided up to Kurt and wrapped an arm around him, giving him a loving shake. "Having fun?"

Kurt smiled widely as he looked over to Carole. He took a deep breath of fresh air and happily answered, "Yeah, I am. This is nice. I mean, we probably shouldn't have let Finn keep score…" They both chuckled as they watched Finn empty out a fourth pocket of his cargo shorts. Kurt called over to his stepbrother, "It's behind your _ear_, Finn!"

Finn looked up in alert and saw his mom and Kurt both nodding at him, indicating that he should trust what Kurt said. He put a hand up to his ear and grinned when he found his missing pencil there. "Thanks, bro!"

Carole smiled, but bit her lip as she looked back over toward Kurt. She hadn't told Burt that she saw Kurt sneaking out of Blaine's room that morning, but she needed to know that Kurt was being safe because Burt would have to know about it eventually.

"Um, are you having _fun_ with Blaine, Kurt?"

Blue eyes widened as Kurt looked over at Carole to see an almost worried look in her eye. "What are you talking about?"

Carole winced, not knowing how to tell him without wholly embarrassing him. "I was just putting our room service tray out in the hallway and… I saw you leaving his room this morning, sweetheart. Were you two at least safe, honey?"

Kurt's eyebrows shot up to his hairline as he opened his mouth, but only little noises of protests escaped from his throat because he was too in shock to form any words.

It was Carole's turn to putt, so she put on a cheery smile and took her turn, doing a little curtsey when Burt applauded her for getting one under par on the hole. Burt's turn was next, so Carole walked back over to Kurt, hoping he'd be willing to confirm her suspicions.

Kurt's face was beet red, but as soon as she was next to him again he whispered, "We didn't sleep together." He shook his head, frustrated in the moment. "I mean, we slept together in the same bed, but we didn't _sleep_ together." Carole gave him a silent look that asked _are you sure_, but Kurt found the courage to look her square in the eye. "Carole, I swear. We just slept." She was not satisfied with his answer, knowing something else must have happened for Kurt to look that giddy that morning. "Okay, fine," Kurt hissed. "We kissed too." He looked down at his shoes, wishing he could melt into the Astroturf that covered the putt-putt golf course. "Please don't tell my dad."

It was honestly more information that Carole expected Kurt to give her and she knew it wasn't her place to tell Burt what was going on with him and Blaine. "I won't. But you should."

He knew she was right, and he was planning to – just not right then. It was one thing to keep the bullying from his father, but if Kurt wanted to try and see Blaine after the cruise, he knew he had to be up front with the status of their whatever he and Blaine were.

"Your turn, Kurt!" Burt exclaimed. Kurt gave him a weak smile and walked over to the green. Just as Kurt pulled his putter back to hit the ball, Burt said, "Oh, I forgot to tell ya, we're having lunch with the Andersons later. It'll be nice to get to know that Blaine kid some more, yeah?"

Kurt's ball sailed off the green and onto the track that surrounded the course.

…

"Oh my god, Carole thought we… you know… had _sex_ last night," Kurt whispered to Blaine as they stood in line to get stir-fry for lunch. "She saw me leave your room this morning. She asked me if we were _safe_, Blaine." Kurt's cheeks flushed as Blaine held back a giggle. "It's not funny."

"It kinda is," Blaine admitted, but then Kurt scowled at him and turned around to face the front of the line. "Listen, if it makes you feel any better, my parents have been acting weird." Kurt rolled his eyes and shifted so that he was facing Blaine again, waiting for him to explain. "I mean, they don't seem to have any idea about last night and I'm hoping to keep it that way… but this morning they kept looking at each other all worried-like and then my mom started to give me one of those 'B, we need to tell you something' speeches, but it was just that her and my dad were taking me to the art auction, which was _dumb_, by the way."

"B?" Kurt asked, eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"What? Oh, like _you_ don't have a nickname."

"Hey sexy," Sebastian interjected as he stopped next to them in line. He had a chocolate soft serve cone in his hand and began licking it suggestively while eyeing Kurt.

Kurt just rolled his eyes, "Oh my god, Sebastian, please just go away. Like, forever."

Blaine grimaced as Sebastian went to town on his cone, enveloping the entirety of the whole cold dessert in his mouth and waggling his eyebrows at Kurt.

Sebastian sucked at the soft serve and smacked his lips before winking at Kurt and walking away, bumping Blaine's shoulder in the process.

"He's vile," Kurt muttered before turning his full attention back to Blaine. "As I was about to say, _no_, I don't have a nickname. And yes, it does sound like your parents are acting weird. It's like they need to tell you something but don't know how." Blaine stood there, speechless. He was in awe how Kurt could completely brush off Sebastian's advances and then address him – Blaine Devon Anderson – like he was the only person in the room. The attention was flattering and a bit overwhelming. "What?" Kurt asked.

Blaine smiled and shook his head. "Nothing. I just… nothing." They shuffled forward a few steps in line before Blaine had the nerve to lean in and whisper in Kurt's ear, "You amaze me."

…

Burt and Ethan were the first two back at the lunch table because they were the least picky eaters of the group. They sat down across from each other and sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Burt finally asked, "So, you tell your kid yet that he's changing schools?"

Shaking his head, Ethan swallowed his bite of hamburger before he answered. "No. I thought Vanessa was going to tell him this morning at breakfast, but… I don't know why we're making this harder than in has to be. I mean, 'we're moving and you're going back to public school' shouldn't be that hard to tell an eighteen year old."

"What shouldn't be that hard to tell an eighteen year old kid?" Blaine asked as he set his tray down on the table and then sat in the chair next to his father.

Ethan was startled by the sudden appearance of his son and Kurt, who sat across from Blaine. "Oh, uh, nothing. I mean, nothing important really." Burt shot Ethan a look before wiping his own mouth with a napkin. "We'll talk about it later. Right now I want to hear about you, Kurt," Ethan said as he directed attention away from his son and onto the boy across the table. "Your dad told me you help out in his garage sometimes?"

Kurt nodded as he swallowed his bite of stir-fry. "Yeah. Been working on cars since I was in middle school."

This was news to Blaine and he almost choked on a carrot when he briefly pictured Kurt bent over the hood of a car. He was knocked out of his reverie when his dad patted him on the back.

"Blaine and I tried to restore a '59 Chevy in our driveway a few summers ago. We thought it would be fun, but we honestly had no idea what we were doing," Ethan explained.

The youngest Anderson smiled good-naturedly, remembering the countless hours he and his dad spent trying to fix that car. Blaine came out to his father while they were researching how to fix the carburetor. To his credit, Ethan stopped what he was doing, gave his son a huge hug, and then asked him to hand over the wrench already. They laughed a lot that summer and Blaine was forever grateful to have spent that time with his dad who loved him just as much the day he came out as he did all the years leading up to that moment.

Soon Carole, Vanessa and Finn found their way back to the table and the families settled into easy conversation. The Anderson parents were eager to talk with Kurt and Finn about their school, hoping them discussing public school would help for when they later tell Blaine about having to leave Dalton.

Midway through lunch, Kurt's foot found Blaine's ankle under the table and they shared what they thought was a private smile upon contact. Burt was on his way back from filling up his cup of water when he saw them playing footsie and he smirked to himself as he sat down.

"So Blaine, what grade are you in?"

Blaine tore his gaze from Kurt and looked up at Burt before answering, "I'm a junior, sir. Just like Kurt and Finn."

"You can call me Burt, kid," Burt said before launching into another question. "You planning on going to college after high school?"

Kurt peered up at his dad and then over to Blaine, trying to give him an apologetic look about his dad's questioning. Blaine didn't seem to mind, though, because he respected Burt Hummel an awful lot for raising such a great son. "Uh, yes, sir, I mean, Burt. Though, I'm still not sure what I want to study. I was thinking probably education or something with music. Maybe even music education." He shrugged before putting another forkful of his lunch in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

Vanessa and Ethan looked over at each other and raised their eyebrows. This was news to them, as Blaine hadn't really discussed what he wanted to pursue as a career later on.

Lunch became less of an interrogation and more of a general conversation about life in general. It went without saying that the Andersons were a family with a lot of money as they told stories about other trips they had taken. They weren't bragging or anything, it was just factual information that they traveled a lot even before Blaine was born. Kurt was in awe of the places they had been and felt awkward for a moment when he realized the monetary and education gap between Blaine's parents and his own father. However, he quickly saw that Blaine's dad and his dad were nothing less than genuinely friendly toward each other and that Vanessa and Carole were getting along like they had known each other for years. Even Finn was fitting in, talking with Blaine, Burt and Ethan about football and basketball. Kurt secretly wished they could have joint family meals like this after they got back to Ohio.

…

The two families had such a good time at lunch that they all agreed to go to trivia together. Kurt was a little disappointed when it turned out to be sports trivia, but smiled when Carole and Vanessa asked him to sit with them while the rest of their families grabbed pencils and slips of paper, eager to try and out-smart each other.

Vanessa and Carole ordered frozen cocktails from a waiter that was walking around and they convinced Kurt to get a virgin pina colada. The three of them sipped their drinks and talked quietly while their boys listened in to the cruise staff member who was reading out the trivia questions.

Midway through the trivia, Blaine turned around to sneak a peek at Kurt and saw the younger boy sipping his drink and grinning back, even with a straw in his mouth. Blaine flashed him a huge smile and winked before focusing back on the trivia task at hand.

Seeing the interaction between their sons, Vanessa and Carole shared a look and chuckled. The boys were too cute for words and it warmed both their hearts to see their kids so happy. They could tell what Kurt and Blaine had was more than just a crush and thought it was adorable to see these two usually guarded boys so open and flirty with each other. Carole nudged Kurt and gave him a knowing look, to which Kurt blushed and tried to make it look like the inside of his drink was the most interesting thing in the room.

Soon, the trivia questions were finished being read and one by one, the answers were revealed. Vanessa, Carole and Kurt all laughed when they heard various groans coming from their families a few rows up.

After all the answers were given, the cruise staff member raised the cheap trophy in the air and asked who thought they won. Kurt looked as several hands shot up around the room, but saw that none of the Anderson, Hummel or Hudson men was among those most confident.

No one in the room got all twenty questions right, nor did anyone even get nineteen or eighteen correct. When the cruise staff member wanted to know if anyone got seventeen right, Kurt was a little shocked to see Blaine thrust his hand in the air.

Blaine was the only one with that amount of correct answers, so he was waved up to the stage to collect his prize. He leapt out of his seat and jogged up the steps to the stage, curls bouncing with each step. Accepting his trophy, he made his way back down to his seat and plopped down next to his dad, earning high 5s from Finn and Burt.

When second and third place finishers (none of whom were Ethan, Burt or Finn) were given their medals, most of the trivia crowd in the room dispersed. Kurt, Carole and Vanessa walked up to the front of the room to congratulate Blaine and offer their condolences to the trivia losers.

Amid the laughter, Blaine assumed an earnest guise and held out his trophy to Kurt. "Here," Blaine said softly so that only Kurt could hear him. "I won this for you."

"Blaine," Kurt said in shock as Blaine tried to get him to take the trophy. "I can't accept that. You won it because apparently you know a lot more about sports than I thought and I…" his voice drifted off when Blaine looked insistent. "Thank you," he murmured as he finally accepted the trophy. It was silly, this five inch piece of junk that boasted the name of the cruise line on its base. It was silly, but was from _Blaine_, so that meant Kurt would honestly treasure it as if it were a Tony Award.

The older boy smiled and slid a hand into Kurt's before bringing their clasped digits behind his back so that no one else in their group would see. Kurt's cheeks flushed pink at the gesture and he gripped tightly to the trophy, wanting to explode with happiness right where he stood. "So, what's next?" Kurt asked the rest of the group, hoping they were going to do something else together because it was fun getting to spend time with everyone.

Much to everyone's surprise, Finn pulled a folded itinerary out of his pocket. Carole smiled to herself and shook her head as her son looked intently at the list. "Um, there is towel animal folding up on the top deck or it says that in here they are going to teach people how to do the 'Time Warp.'" Finn yanked the paper down from in front of his face and glanced over at his stepbrother. "We already know how to do that, so you wanna fold towel animals?"

Blaine's eyebrows shot up as he glanced at the boy he was holding hands with. "Hold up, what?"

Kurt shrugged, "We were going to do _Rocky Horror_ for the school musical this year. Finn was Brad."

"Yeah, and Kurt was that weird dude," Finn said with a smile, thinking back on the school musical that never was.

Blaine was confused by Finn's comment, as there was definitely more than one "weird dude" in _Rocky Horror_. Kurt seemed to pick up on Blaine's confusion and supplied him with the correct character, "Riff Raff."

"Reeeeeeaaaaalllllly," Blaine responded to Kurt before addressing the rest of the group. "Well, I vote for 'Time Warp'."

Kurt squinted his eyes at Blaine, wondering what angle he was trying to play. It was impossible to say no to the borderline begging heart eyes Blaine was giving him, so Kurt couldn't help but to agree. "Fine. But only if everyone does it."

Burt shrugged, more than happy to make a fool out of himself to see his kid happy. "I'm in. I remember seeing that _Rocky Horror_ thing with your mom at the movies a few times."

Vanessa wrapped an arm around Ethan and said, "We're in too." Ethan's eyebrows shot up, as he was planning on talking his way out of it. "Oh come on, you," Vanessa teased at her husband. "This'll be fun." She looked over at Carole, "How about you?"

Carole chuckled, "I think I could handle it. Although, shouldn't someone stay in the audience to take pictures?"

In the end, Carole ended up taking pictures and video of the Anderson/Hummel/Hudson group up on stage. Blaine dragged Kurt to the front and then paid extra close attention to the instructor, wanting to get every step right. She clicked several shots of Kurt looking at Blaine with a look of utter adoration on his face and hoped the pictures wouldn't come out blurry.

It was fun for Carole to watch Finn try and coach Burt with the steps, putting arms on his shoulders to guide him in the right direction on turns. "It's in the words of the song, Burt," Finn laughed as he patted his stepfather on the back with encouragement. "They literally tell you that it's a jump to the left and then a step to the right." Finn might not be the brightest boy or the best dancer, but he was becoming a better man every day and Carole was so proud of her son.

Ethan and Vanessa hung to the back of the group, giggling between each other and not really trying that hard to get the steps right. They were just enjoying being together and watching their son doing what he loved with someone he seemed to care a lot about, even though he had only met Kurt a few days prior. Every now and again during the lesson, they would hear Blaine's laugh over top of the rest of the noise in the room and it was a welcome sound after years of their youngest son repressing his feelings.

When the lesson was over and the group did their last full performance of the dance along to the music, Carole clapped as everyone made their way down off the stage. "That was great, guys," she exclaimed to the families. "Very coordinated. Well, most of you," she said as she planted a kiss on Burt's lips.

Burt just shook his head, but was smiling because it was actually a lot of fun. He turned to Ethan and Vanessa and asked, "Did you guys have afternoon plans, or you wanna see what else is going on?"

Blaine looked over at his parents with expectant eyes, hoping they would say they wanted to keep hanging out with Kurt's family. Ethan smiled, "What's next on that list, Finn?" As Finn pulled the itinerary back out of his pocket, Ethan turned and winked at his son, knowing he would agree to do just about anything to keep his kid beaming like he was.

It turned out there was an 80s music revue going on in one of the theaters on the boat. The two families walked together and found seats just as the lights were dimming. Though Kurt and Blaine were still sitting near their families, they made sure to sit next to each other. In the dark, their hands found each other's and they remained clasped throughout the show.

The 80s revue definitely was not the greatest piece of live theater Kurt had ever seen, but he was at least glad it was something his whole family would probably enjoy. He smiled when he saw his Dad and Carole bopping their heads along to the music. Biting his cheek, he even snuck a look at Blaine's parents. Though he didn't know Mr. and Mrs. Anderson very well, they seemed really nice and it was almost a privilege to meet people who didn't think there was anything wrong with their son being gay. Kurt knew he was lucky with his own dad and now Carole – they never told Kurt to be anyone but himself. But, he heard horror stories from other kids at the PFLAG meetings of parents who practically disowned them for something they had no control over.

Partway through the show, Blaine leaned his head onto Kurt's shoulder. Kurt initially tensed, but when Blaine whispered, "Is this okay?" in his ear, Kurt sighed and eased into the back of his chair. Though he wondered how he was just supposed to go back to a daily life without Blaine in it when they got back to Ohio, Kurt was definitely enjoying living in the moment.

After a medley of Journey and Bon Jovi songs, the revue ended and the lights came up. All the parents saw how cozy Kurt and Blaine were in their seats, but no one said anything even though it would have been so easy to tease them.

There was about a half hour left before they were supposed to go to dinner, so everyone went back to their respective rooms to change and freshen up. On the walk, Kurt and Blaine whispered between each other, promising to meet up outside of Kurt's room around 10:00pm so they could hang out one last time on the boat before they reached port the next morning.

…

Once back inside their room, Finn ripped off his shirt and threw it in the corner. Kurt rolled his eyes at his stepbrother and commented, "You should just fold that now and put it in your suitcase."

"I'll do it later," Finn replied, yanking on a fresh t-shirt. "Or tomorrow morning before we leave."

Kurt shook his head and went to their closet, pulling out a fresh button-up top. It was definitely not as nice as something he normally wore to school, but it at least looked better than a t-shirt for when he hung out with Blaine later.

"You look nice, Kurt," Finn said as he watched his stepbrother carefully button his top.

Kurt paused at the compliment and gave Finn a grateful smile in the mirror. "Thanks."

There were a few moments of silence while Kurt finished getting ready. He leaned his face close to the mirror and made sure his hair wasn't falling over his forehead.

Finn flopped down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. "So, are you and Blaine, like, boyfriends now?"

Kurt was shocked at how nonchalant Finn's question was and his mouth dropped open as he sputtered before finally answering, "Um, uh, _no_." He scoffed as he continued, "I mean, we've only known each other a few days and it's not like we live near each other or anything."

Those all sounded like excuses to Finn. "I don't think that matters. Like, he likes you and you like him." Finn shrugged. "He's cool. You two are good together."

A small smile found its way to Kurt's face and didn't leave throughout most of dinner.

…

Vanessa and Ethan caught their son more than once staring across the dining room at the table where Kurt sat with his family.

"Who ya staring at there, B?" Vanessa teased as she brushed a curl off of her distracted son's forehead.

Blaine couldn't help but smile. It was weird that he found himself falling for someone under the watch of his parents since he usually kept any feelings at bay to focus on just getting through the rest of high school in one piece, but at the same time he didn't mind his parents' teasing. They both mentioned to him a few times apiece that they liked Kurt and it made him feel good that they seemed to be encouraging whatever it was that was going on between him and the other boy.

"Thanks for letting me spend so much time with Kurt the past few days," Blaine said, making sure to flash sincerely grateful smiles to both his mom and dad. "God, I can't believe spring break is almost over. Oh, Monday I'm going to be late getting home from school," Blaine said as he stabbed a piece of broccoli and popped it in his mouth. Though he spoke as he chewed, he did hold his napkin over his mouth as the other family at the table glared at him. "Wes is extending Warbler practice since we missed a whole week of rehearsal. I mean, it's just for a nursing home performance, but…" Blaine stopped talking when he saw his mom and dad eyeing each other like they had been that morning during breakfast. He put his napkin back down on the table and threw his hands up, a bit frustrated. "Okay, what is going on?"

Vanessa smiled with her mouth but her eyes betrayed her as she looked at her son. "Sweetheart… you won't be at Warbler practice on Monday." She looked over at Ethan for verbal support.

Ethan sighed. "Blaine," he started. The youngest Anderson turned toward his father, hoping whatever he was going to tell him made more sense than what his mom was saying. "Son, I got promoted at work and had to transfer to a different branch of the firm."

"That's great, Dad," Blaine said, a confused expression still on his face. "Congratulations! I mean I know you were waiting to hear back about that. But, I don't get what that has to do with Warbler practice on Monday." He looked back and forth between his parents, wishing they would just get to the punchline already.

"We're moving, B," Ethan almost blurted out. "Or moved, rather. My office isn't in Columbus anymore, son. So, while we were on the cruise, your mom and I had the movers bring all our stuff to the, uh, new house."

"Wha-, but…" Blaine said, eyes wide as he tried to process what he was being told.

Vanessa put a hand on her son's shoulder, but he didn't register the gesture. "It's a beautiful place, B. And we made sure there was a room for your piano and all your books. But, sweetie, you won't be at Dalton anymore."

Blaine's heart started beating harder and harder against his ribcage. No more Dalton? He had flashes back to his last school and the taunting and getting beat up after the dance and the screams that fell from his mouth when that knife carved into his forehead. "But, I can board there," he said quickly, thinking he had found a solution to keep himself safe. "Can't I board there? Can't I… Mom?" He felt tears well up in his eyes as he watched his mom sadly shake her head _No_. He didn't want to cry at the dinner table in front of a bunch of strangers, but he also couldn't believe that his parents were springing all this on him the night before they were to go home.

Home.

He didn't even know where home was anymore.

Blaine knew it was rude to leave right then, but he had to get out of there. He needed air and a chance to collect himself before he asked his parents for more details about where they were going to be living. But, for the moment he needed to not be where he was sitting.

"I'm sorry," he muttered lowly as he scooted his chair back. He stood up and kept his eye on the door, determined to make it outside before he lost it.

…

Kurt was practically doubled over with laughter as Carole finished telling them a story about the time she caught a six-year-old Finn playing with a tampon in the bathtub. "He thought it was a one armed octopus!" Everyone but Finn burst into another fit of giggles.

"Oh my god, Carole, that is priceless," Kurt commented as he wiped a happy tear from his eye. Moments later, he saw Blaine storm out the door of the dining room. "Oh my god," Kurt said, seriously concerned with why Blaine was leaving like that. He quickly looked over to where Vanessa and Ethan were still sitting and saw that they looked distraught, but more so that they were disappointed in themselves as opposed to Blaine.

Burt watched his son watching the boy he liked walk out the door and it made his own heart hurt a bit. As soon as Kurt looked to him for approval to follow, Burt nodded his head. Kurt immediately excused himself and went to follow Blaine.

When Kurt made it out into the lobby in front of the dining area, he didn't see Blaine right away. Spinning around in exasperation, Kurt was going to head down to Blaine's room when he saw a familiar head of curls off in the distance. Without thinking, Kurt began to run after the older boy.

"BLAINE!"

Though his mind was racing with how his whole world seemed to be falling apart, Blaine heard Kurt's voice behind him. He didn't' stop walking, but he did slow down a little bit. Blaine couldn't just stop – if he stopped, he was going to cry and he didn't want Kurt to see him cry.

"Blaine, please," Kurt called more softly that time, asking for trust but expecting none and almost gasped when Blaine stilled. The older boy didn't turn around, but he did remain in one spot, allowing Kurt to catch up to him. To his credit, Kurt didn't ask what was wrong. He figured if Blaine wanted to tell him, he would on his own. Instead he offered a hand to Blaine and asked, "You want to walk around for a bit?"

With a shaky nod, Blaine laced his fingers with Kurt's and the two of them head outside toward the strip of walkway near the boat's railing.

They walked in silence for a while. When they got to the part of the ship where they normally turned back, Blaine tugged on Kurt's hand and wordlessly motioned for the other boy to follow him.

Together, they walked up a staircase leading toward the very front of the boat. Kurt giggled to himself and then was almost embarrassed when Blaine gave him a questioning look. The younger boy shrugged, not caring at that point about what he was about to say. "Sorry, I just was getting a bunch of Titanic feels. But if this ship goes down, I expect you to make room for me on that door, you hear? I don't care if this water is warm." At that, Blaine broke into a small, but genuine smile. It pained Kurt to see Blaine's beautiful eyes clouded by tears. With his free hand, Kurt tentatively reached up and ran his fingers through Blaine's hair. Blaine's eyes slid closed at the contact, his shoulders releasing a little bit of the tension that had built up since he left the dinner table. Kurt brought his hand down from the soft curls and rested it against Blaine's cheek, using his thumb to brush away the solitary tear that had snuck down from the corner of Blaine's eye.

Blaine opened his eyes before he reached up and slid his other hand into Kurt's. With all hands occupied, Blaine leaned forward until his lips met Kurt's. They stayed together for a few moments, each wondering to himself what was going to happen to them when they reached the mainland. Eventually, the boys pulled back to look at the other, taking in this beautiful person in front of him.

"You were right about my parents wanted to tell me something," Blaine started quietly, tearing his gaze from Kurt to look down at their joined hands.

Kurt shook his head, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

At that, Blaine cocked his head and looked back up at Kurt. "I want to." He sighed and looked over the front of the ship and down to the water below. "Maybe not here," he said softly. "But I want to."

Kurt nodded, realizing he should probably not interrupt Blaine again if he was so willing to share whatever it was with him. They walked hand and hand to the Serenity Deck and dragged two lounge chairs together before climbing on and snuggling close into each other. Kurt was grateful that there were hardly any other people on the deck and no one seemed to mind that two boys were wrapped up in each other's arms.

"So, apparently my dad got the promotion he was hoping for at his firm and he got transferred," Blaine explained. "And, um, I guess when we get back to Ohio tomorrow, it'll be to a new house. And," he started to get choked up but managed to get the rest of his news out. "I'm getting pulled out of Dalton. I have to go back to… to public school. And, last time, I just – the dance, and… Kurt, I can't."

Kurt's first instinct was to pull Blaine in closer, so he wrapped his arms tighter around Blaine's waist and back. He kissed Blaine's temple and felt the older boy shudder in his hold, unable to stop the silent sobs from coming. Blaine allowed himself to be held for a few minutes, finding both comfort and strength from Kurt's embrace. When the shaking slowed to stuttered breaths and finally to rhythmic rises and falls of his chest, Kurt smiled and planted a soft kiss on Blaine's forehead. "You can, Blaine. You are going to do amazing things at whatever school you're at."

Blaine scoffed at Kurt's confidence in him. "You don't know that."

"Hey," Kurt exclaimed as he pulled back a little so he could look Blaine in the eye. "I am never wrong." At that Blaine gave a tiny smile. "Plus," Kurt continued as he snuggled back against Blaine, "public school will give you a daily opportunity for fashion. I mean, I'm sure you looked nice in your Dalton uniform, but think of all the different clothes you can wear when you're not restricted to whatever it is private school kids are stuck putting on these days." Kurt was kind of joking, but part of him was already thinking about what kind of outfits would look best on Blaine. He wondered if Blaine would let him pick out some wardrobe pieces, or let him play around with his hair. Kurt shook the thought, knowing he should be focusing on Blaine's present problem and could ask about the other stuff later.

With a heavy sigh, Blaine confessed guiltily, "I kind of left the table without even finding out where we moved to."

"Oh," Kurt replied, not really knowing what to say to that. "Well, regardless where it is, if you need help assimilating back into public school, I'll be there for you. I mean, I won't be _there,_ but you could text me, or whatever." Immediately, Kurt's cheeks flushed because he just said out loud that he assumed Blaine would want to stay in contact with him after the cruise. "Um, only if you wanted to. I don't expect you to – " He stopped rambling and tried to collect his thoughts, deciding that he already spoke so much, he may as well address what he considered to be the elephant in the room. "Blaine… what's going to happen, to um, to us, when the cruise is over? I mean, am I silly to even think that there is an _us_? Because I've never – umph"

Kurt's words were cut off by Blaine's lips closing over his. Assuming that was some sort of affirmative answer to his question, Kurt closed his eyes and sighed into the kiss, wishing he and Blaine could stay there just like that. Blaine tilted his head and parted his mouth a bit, experimenting with the access to Kurt's mouth the different angle provided. He was sure he was doing something wrong, but was encouraged when a small, needy moan escaped from Kurt's throat.

Pulling out of the kiss, Blaine couldn't help but smile. "_I_ think that there is an us and I can't wait for _us_ to keep doing _that_." He was so scared about going to a new school – a new public school no less – but somehow knowing that Kurt was going to still be in his life made things that much more tolerable. "Look, Kurt, I don't know what city I'm going to be in tomorrow night, but I do know that wherever I am, I'm going to be thinking about the most amazing, caring, beautiful boy that I've ever met."

No one had ever said something so sincerely kind and flattering to Kurt in his entire life. He was glad it was dark out because his face and ears felt like they were on fire. "You can't just say that," Kurt said quietly.

"I'm not taking it back, Kurt," Blaine whispered in Kurt's ear before snuggling back down against the younger boy.

They sat silently for a few moments, listening to each other breathing and being presently content to be in one another's arms, but still terrified of what the future held.

The quiet was interrupted when Kurt started chuckling to himself.

"What?" Blaine asked.

Kurt shook his head, "It's just something Finn said earlier. I'm laughing because, and I can't believe I'm going to say this out loud, but he was actually right for once."

Blaine was curious. He hadn't known Finn very long, but knew he was a bit of a goof. "What'd he say?"

"He said," Kurt said softly, almost in disbelief. "He said that we were good together."

Blaine beamed, "He really said that?"

Kurt nodded, "Mmm hmm."

They snuggled in silence for a little longer before Blaine spoke up. "Kurt?"

"Yeah?"

The question was soft, but serious. "Are we boyfriends?" After a beat, Kurt burst into another fit of giggles, which caused Blaine some concern. "What's so funny about that?"

"Finn asked if we were boyfriends and I told him no."

"Oh."

Kurt could hear the defeat in Blaine's voice. "That was a few hours ago, Blaine." He leaned over and kissed the top of Blaine's head. "Things are different now."

"Oh."

They held onto each other until it was time for Kurt to get back to his room for curfew. The families were leaving the boat early the next morning to catch their respective flights to Ohio and the boys knew they wouldn't be able to pull off the sleepover they had the night before.

…

In their hallway, Kurt and Blaine hugged each other hard, trying to memorize what it felt like to be held in the other's arms because they weren't sure the next time they would get to see each other in person. They parted with a kiss and a promise to text each other the following day when they got back home.

Refusing to say goodbye, Kurt quickly carded his way into his and Finn's room because he thought he would get emotional if he were in the hall for much longer.

Upon entering the room, Kurt was surprised to find his stepbrother packing his suitcase. Finn looked up and flashed Kurt a huge grin. "Hey look, I'm being responsible!" Kurt crossed the room and threw his arms around his stepbrother, pulling him into a grateful hug. "Thanks man, but what's this for?"

They pulled out of the hug and Kurt clapped a hand on Finn's shoulder. "You're a really good brother, Finn."

The two of them finished packing while they listened to a playlist on Finn's phone. Kurt was too happy to complain about the back-to-back-to-back rock songs and the noticeable lack of Lady Gaga.

…

Blaine finished packing and sat down on his bed. He leaned over and rubbed both his hands over his face and into his hair. With a sigh, he stood right back up and grabbed his keycard, not giving himself time to think before he left his room and walked down the hall. He saw a light on underneath the door, so he knew the room's occupants were still up.

The knock was hesitant, but loud enough to earn an almost immediate response.

When the suite door opened, Blaine threw his arms around his father and spoke into his chest. "I'm sorry about how I acted at dinner. That was really selfish of me and I'm just – I'm sorry."

Ethan hugged his son and rubbed his back a bit. "We're sorry too, B. Your mom and I – we shouldn't have told you like that."

Blaine ended up sitting on the bed, flanked by a parent on either side.

"This isn't an excuse, but we tried to tell you all week," "Vanessa said as she looked at her son. "But you looked like you were having fun with Kurt and were in such a good mood that we didn't want to ruin the rest of the trip for you… which I guess we kind of did anyway."

The youngest Anderson shook his head, "No, you didn't. Honest." Blaine looked at both parents, with a small smile, trying to reassure them that he was fine. He wasn't quite ready to tell them about Kurt and him being boyfriends yet, but they had to know that the last night of their trip was not a complete bust.

Ethan nodded, believing his son and sharing a knowing look with his wife that there was likely more to Blaine's story. But, it was late and they weren't going to question Blaine about what he had been doing for the past few hours since he left the dinner table. They had a whole day of traveling ahead of them and they had the patience to see if their son would open up to them as he slowly had been during the cruise.

"Why don't you get some sleep, bud," Ethan said. "We got an early day tomorrow."

The Andersons shared a family hug before Blaine said goodnight to his parents and left for his room.

It took Blaine awhile to get to sleep, but when he did, he dreamt of a boy with blue eyes with a laugh that sounded like music.


	5. MondayThursdayFriday

A/N - I'm posting this chapter on the evening on Sunday 7/14. It has been a devastating day within the fandom as we all mourn the loss of Cory Monteith. My heart goes out to his family, friends and loved ones. I can only hope that they are able to grieve privately and that they are surrounded by their loved ones during this terrible time. But my thoughts are also with those in the fandom. We lost one of our own this weekend, and his passing will continue to affect us for years to come. *Hugs*

There will be at least one more chapter. (Maybe two...)

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

* * *

MONDAY

After taking several deep breaths to calm himself down, Blaine started walking down the hallway. He swallowed hard as he purposefully put one foot in front of the other, feeling the stares of the strangers around him. Though he kept a steady gaze, on the inside he was smacking himself for his chosen outfit. Red highwaters and a tight black shirt with a red, white and black bowtie were definitely not all part of his usual wardrobe, but seeing the joy on Kurt's face when the younger boy picked them out on Saturday was reason enough to go through with wearing it on his first day at McKinley. To compensate for his unfamiliar clothes, Blaine did layer on a sizable amount of hair gel to keep his curls in check. He didn't want to look sloppy or not so put together at his new school.

Blaine put a hand to his tie to double check that it was still on straight. Kurt's locker was right around the corner and he knew the other boy would likely be there gathering his books for his morning classes.

As luck would have it, Kurt was at his locker, but his back was toward Blaine. The older boy barely kept a blossoming grin in check as he planted himself a couple lockers down from Kurt. Blaine propped his right arm up on a locker, feeling his shirt pull tighter against his chest and bicep. He couldn't believe he let Kurt talk him into buying a size down than he normally wore – it felt like he was going to rip through his top like the Incredible Hulk or something.

The pretty black girl Kurt was talking to – his best friend, Mercedes, as Blaine recalled – stopped listening to Kurt and eyeballed Blaine. Kurt told Blaine about Mercedes, but in that moment, he wasn't entirely sure if Kurt had mentioned him to her, or any of his friends for that matter. In a moment of panic, he realized he was probably going to look like a huge asshole, standing like that. Mercedes looked so confused and he chided himself for it being a bad idea to surprise Kurt like this. He should have just told him on Saturday like he originally planned.

Just as he was about to take his arm off the locker, Kurt saw that Mercedes was side eyeing whoever was standing behind him. He turned to see who she was looking at and dropped his Pre-Calc book, narrowly missing both their feet. Kurt's eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

"Hey you," Blaine said softly, a now nervous smile plastered to his face. His eyes searched Kurt's, hoping to find that the other boy was glad to see him, even if he was so surprised.

"Oh my god, what are you doing here?!"

_FIVE DAYS PRIOR…_ THURSDAY

The cruise ship docked in port around 4:00am and people started leaving the ship a couple hours later. The Andersons were out of their rooms and walking down the hallway before the Hudson-Hummels even woke up.

As they walked past Kurt and Finn's room, Blaine looked at the door and his heart ached, knowing that his boyfriend was in there but that they wouldn't see each other awhile. Vanessa saw a pained expression flash across her son's face before he shook himself off and assumed a more neutral guise. She frowned, wanting to know if he was okay and hoping he would be open enough to share with her what was bothering him. Though he said he was all right about the news from the night before, she wondered if he was just saying that to keep the peace or if there was more to the story than he was letting on.

Once off the boat, the Andersons loaded their bags into a hired car they had waiting for them to take them to the airport. Their flight was at 11:00am and they were the kind of family who arrived at the airport two hours before takeoff to make sure they got through security with plenty of time to spare.

For Blaine, airport security was even less fun. He liked when there was the option to do a full body scan so that way he wouldn't call attention to himself when it was his turn to pass through. However, he frowned when he saw that the line he was ushered into was the traditional metal detector.

Ethan could tell Blaine was displeased as they all put their carryon luggage onto the conveyor belt. "Sorry, B." He thought for a moment before continuing, "If you want, I can leave my belt on and then I'll beep too."

Blaine rolled his eyes and chuckled at his dad's attempt to make him feel better about what was about to happen. "Nah, I'm good. Honest."

They shuffled forward, with Ethan and Vanessa walking through the machine without hassle. They were sliding their shoes back on when they heard the familiar alarm sound and a sassy voice telling their son to step out of the way and put his arms out.

As this was now routine, Blaine did as he was told and stood like he was a scarecrow. While a wand hovered over his chest and backside, he said quietly, but with authority, "I have metal pins in my hip."

Sure enough, the wand beeped when it passed over his abdomen and toward his crotch. The TSA employee raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you a little young for that?"

Blaine could only sigh and shrug as was finally waved on to collect his personal items. Vanessa rubbed his shoulder as he slid on his sandals and grabbed his bag. His jaw was clenched tight and it made her sad to know how much it upset her son every time he was reminded of the aftermath of that school dance.

They got to their gate and Blaine put in his ear buds and made himself as comfortable as he could in his chair. His mouth was pursed tightly shut, as if he was afraid that if he let it open, everything would come pouring out. But he wasn't ready for that – he wasn't ready to tell his parents about the overwhelming highs and lows that were making his heart pound so fast that he was sure he would throw up.

Vanessa and Ethan talked quietly between themselves, trying to respect their son's privacy and his unspoken need to be left alone. They didn't miss it, though, when Blaine pulled out his phone to check an incoming text. If that grin was any indication, maybe Blaine was going to be okay after all.

…

The Hudson-Hummels managed to get off the boat just after 9:00am. They would have disembarked a little sooner, but Finn thought he misplaced his wallet. Once all their things were gathered, the family began their trek down the hallway toward the elevators. Kurt cast one final glance back, knowing Blaine and his family were already gone.

Once off the boat, the family got onto a shuttle that took them back to the hotel where the van they rented was parked. They piled in and Burt navigated them onto the highway. Signs for the airport soon appeared, but instead of exiting, Burt kept driving.

"Hey, what? Dad, you missed the exit!" Kurt called out from his seat. Carole and Burt glanced over at each other and broke into evil grins. Kurt looked over at Finn. "Do _you_ know what's going on?" Finn shook his head, equally as confused as Kurt. "What's going on?" The question was directed at his father.

"Oh, nothing," Burt said nonchalantly. "Just driving a little more."

"Dad," Kurt said flatly, "I thought our flight was at 1:00."

"Yep," Burt replied. "One o'clock _tomorrow_." He chuckled to himself, thinking he was really clever.

Kurt rolled his eyes at his father's attempt at whatever it was he thought he was doing. "Carole?"

With a fond look toward Burt, she turned in her seat to address the two boys in the back. "We thought we'd make a little detour before going back to Ohio. It's somewhere Finn always wanted to go, but when your father told me you like Harry Potter too, we –"

"WE'RE GOING TO HARRY POTTER WORLD?!" Finn yelled out with a little too much enthusiasm for his close proximity to Kurt's ears.

After recovering from the racket his stepbrother was making, Kurt put a hand to the back of each parents' headrest and leaned forward. "Are we really going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter?" There was more than just a hint of hope in Kurt's voice as he asked.

"You bet," Burt said. "We'll see that Bumbledorf guy and drink… what's that stuff you were telling me about, hon?"

"Butterbeer," Carole said as she pat her husband's leg. "And it's Dumbledore, sweetie."

"Bumbledorf. Dumbledore. Whatever," he mumbled to himself. "Is that okay, bud? One more day of family vacation before it's back to the grind?" Burt made eye contact with his son in the rearview mirror.

Kurt smiled, "Sounds great, dad." He settled back into his seat and pulled out his phone. Finn had already posted something on Facebook and tagged Kurt, so he already had a few messages to sort through. However, he pulled up his message app and typed away a quick note to the most recent contact on his phone.

_Parents changed plans – going to Universal Studios to visit Hogwarts and drink butterbeer. Won't be back to Ohio until tomorrow, but I'll call you as soon as I get home. (Wish you were here!) xoxo _

…

The Andersons' flight back to Ohio was uneventful. Blaine kept to himself, still listening to his music, but gently rubbing his thumb over the length of his phone. Vanessa would have questioned the odd action, but it seemed to keep Blaine calm and content during the short trip. Once at the airport in Columbus, they gathered their bags and hauled everything to their car.

Blaine buckled himself into the backseat and took a deep breath. He didn't know what he was so nervous about – it was just a new home in a new town with a new school to start at on Monday.

Though the car ride didn't last long, Blaine nodded off. Since he was little, he always fell asleep in the car, as the bouncing and jarring motions were somehow comforting. He was still out when they passed the "Welcome to Lima" sign as they drove over the city limits of their new place of residence. Blaine didn't wake up until his mom nudged him after they parked in their new home's driveway.

"Blaine," Vanessa cooed softly. "Blaine, sweetie. Wake up, B. We're home."

Home.

Blaine's lashes fluttered for a moment as he willed his eyelids open. He snapped his head a little too fast toward his mom, giving himself a headache in the process. They were home. His belongings were in a room someone deemed his, but that he had never once stepped foot in.

As he got out of the car, Blaine looked up at the brick house in front of him. It was big – bigger than their place in Westerville. There was a wraparound porch and a large garden; things Blaine knew his mother always wanted. The two-car garage was wide open and Blaine saw that his Audi was already parked inside among shelves of sports equipment and boxes clearly labeled with different holidays.

Blaine went to the back of his parents' car and grabbed his bags. He shouldered his Dalton duffel and sighed knowing he would never again wear that school's crest upon his blazer. A groan sounded from the base of his throat when he realized he was going to need different clothes for when he started up at his new school on Monday because most of his non-Dalton wardrobe was suit jackets and trousers or t-shirts and shorts. He chuckled, though, when he remembered how excited Kurt was just last night that Blaine would get to wear something other than a uniform. Maybe he could convince Kurt to go clothes shopping that weekend.

Once in the house, Blaine stopped to look around. The different foyer would have been more unsettling had there not been the familiar furniture he was so used to.

"You okay, honey?"

Blaine craned his neck to see his mother standing behind him. He gave her a small smile and nod, trying to reassure her that he understood the need to move and that he was going to be fine. "Um, which way to my room?"

Vanessa offered her son a warm smile and put an arm around his shoulder. Together they walked up one flight of stairs and then another until they reached the third floor of the house. Walking passed the room Blaine understood to be his practice room (as it already housed his piano, guitars and bookshelves, as promised by his parents), they stopped at a closed door mid-hallway. With a look of encouragement from his mother, Blaine reached out and turned the doorknob.

He smiled when he saw his bed was situated in the corner of his room and already made. His bureau and nightstand mirrored where they were at in his old room as well. Garment bags and labeled boxes were situated in a corner, waiting for their owner to unpack them when he got a chance. Blaine set his duffel bag down on the floor and turned to his mom. Sure, it was going to take a little getting used to, but the new house would not be the end of his world. Blaine held out his arms and his mom smiled as she stepped closer and allowed her son to wrap her in a loving hug. He would always be her baby boy, but knew he had grown into a fine young man and that was a continued source of pride.

While they hugged, Blaine's phone beeped in his pocket. Vanessa was the first to pull away, silently signaling to her son that it was okay if he tended to whoever was texting him. He swiftly fished his phone out and smiled when he saw it was a picture text from Kurt. Vanessa tried not to look, but she couldn't help but see it was a picture of Kurt and Finn standing proudly in front of some train.

Blaine's cheeks flushed pink when he saw his mom was looking at him.

Tomorrow. He would tell her tomorrow.

Right then, though, right then he only could grin at the radiant smile on his boyfriend's face in front of the Hogwarts Express.

…

Burt threw an arm around his son's shoulders after he handed him back his phone. Kurt quickly checked the picture, smiled widely, and then sent it to Blaine without any sort of message. Burt shook his head, amazed at the speed at which his son's fingers flew and was able to manipulate images and text at his will on that stupid phone.

"You having fun, kid?" Burt asked his son, hoping he was doing right by Kurt. Ever since Elizabeth died ten years ago, that was something that was on his mind every day - always making sure Kurt was loved and cared for.

Kurt grinned at his father, his eyes full of joy and a stress-free excitement that Burt hadn't seen in awhile. "This is amazing, Dad. Thank you."

FRIDAY

Blaine spent an hour with his mom at his new school filling out the final paperwork for his transfer and figuring out what classes he would be taking at McKinley High. Dalton Academy was one of the most academically strict schools in the state so Blaine was placed into as many Advanced Placement classes that were available to keep him challenged as well as on track for graduation. When they were nearing the end of finalizing his schedule, Blaine asked the guidance counselor if there was any sort of school choir or glee club he could join. Vanessa was proud of her son for his inquiry, knowing he loved performing but was hesitant to join an already established group.

"Well," Emma Pillsbury said as she leaned across the table to address Blaine. "I'm not sure, but I think the New Directions are always looking for additional members."

New Directions. For some reason that sounded familiar to Blaine.

"Do you know how I could get an audition?"

Emma smiled. "I have an in with the glee club's advisor, so I'm sure I can work something out for you for Monday. Would that be alright?"

Blaine nodded, "Yeah, that would be great. Thank you!" He thought for a second. "Um, what kind of glee club is it? I mean, the Warblers were an a cappella group, but we competed against madrigal groups and dance-heavy choirs…"

After a moment of thought, Emma replied, "Well, they do dance a bit and they have a little band that backs them up, but it's nothing too crazy. They sing mostly classic rock and some showtunes. For example, last year during Regionals, Finn and Rachel lead the group in a medley of Journey songs."

New Directions. Finn.

No… there was no way.

"Finn?" Blaine asked in voice slightly higher than he normally thought. Vanessa watched her son shift in his seat and she hoped to God that the hunch she knew he had was a reality.

Emma nodded, "Finn Hudson. He's one of the leads of the club." She flipped through a file on her desk. "If you'd like I can give you his phone number. He's out of town right now because his mom was getting married." Her eyes lit up as she continued talking. "Actually, it's a cute story. Finn's mom married Kurt's dad. Kurt is another one of the boy's in the glee club and –"

"-Um, that's okay, thank you!" Blaine exclaimed a little louder than he probably should. His eyes were wide in combination of shock and excitement. He looked quickly between Miss Pillsbury and his mother who was giving him a knowing grin. "Was there anything else I needed to fill out?" He had to get out of that tiny office before he exploded.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows, "Um, nope. You seem good to go."

Blaine bolted out of his chair and thrust his hand out to shake Miss Pillsbury's. "Thanks. Just… uh, thank you. Thank you, Miss Pillsbury. I'll see you on Monday."

Smiles were exchanged before Vanessa and Blaine exited the office. Once they were in the car, Vanessa looked over at her son who seemed to be thinking a mile a minute. "B?"

Blaine snapped his head toward his mom, heart racing as he processed all the information he now had. He was enrolled at McKinley High School. Kurt went to McKinley High School. He had an audition for the New Directions on Monday. Kurt was in the New Directions. Kurt was his boyfriend. He was going to be with his boyfriend. "I'm going to be with my boyfriend."

"What?" Vanessa asked, just making sure she heard what she thought she heard.

The youngest Anderson's eyebrows shot up as he realized what he just said to his mom. "Oh… uh…"

Vanessa bit back a smile as she started the car. "Come on, kid, I'll take you to lunch." The engine kicked on and she pulled the car into reverse. "Then you can tell me all about your _boyfriend_."

…

Blaine thanked the waitress and handed her his and his mom's menus. As she left, Blaine pulled a breadstick out of a basket on the table and took a bite off of one end. It was a lot drier than he anticipated and he made a face as he chewed. He put the offending appetizer down and downed half his glass of water. Vanessa waited patiently for her son to start speaking on his own. Blaine knew this.

"So, um… I was going to tell you, I swear. Today even!" he added quickly. "But, Kurt and I are… boyfriends." Blaine looked nervously at his mom and could not read her face as she kept her expression even.

Vanessa could tell Blaine was dying a little inside when she didn't respond right away and she guiltily got a kick out it. Knowing she couldn't keep quiet much longer, she broke into a wide grin. "Blaine, honey, if you're waiting for me to say something bad about this, you're going to be waiting a long time." She reached across the table and put a hand over his. "I like Kurt. Your father likes Kurt. And we know _you_ like him, B. I think it's cute you two made it official." The tension in Blaine's shoulders relaxed a bit, but he still felt like he was withholding information from his mom. She could tell he still had something to say. "Was there something else?"

He sighed through his nose and sat up a bit in his seat. He was 18-years-old, dammit, and if he wanted to see his boyfriend, then he was going to see his boyfriend. But the kind look in his mother's eyes made him feel like he whatever he was about to tell her or ask her was likely going to be met with acceptance. "Um… Kurt was going to call later. I was wondering if it'd be okay if I asked him out for tomorrow? To help me get some new clothes for school?"

This was a reasonable request and Vanessa almost rolled her eyes. "Blaine, short of you guys robbing a bank, I trust the two of you to spend time together. But thank you for asking." She took a sip from her own water glass. "Of course you can go out with him tomorrow. Okay?"

Blaine nodded. He knew his parents inherently trusted him and that so long as he didn't do anything illegal, he could probably do whatever he wanted. He knew he had to keep that trust, though. And that meant telling his mom everything. "There's one more thing I should probably tell you." He sighed and leaned forward a little, eyes pleading for her to understand. "On the boat, Kurt and I spent a night together." Vanessa's eyebrows slid up. "We didn't do _anything_ or anything, I swear. We just slept. But… I thought you should… know."

Vanessa didn't know what to say, so she gave herself a moment to just look at her son. Cooper never would have told her something like that. Ethan gave both his sons the sex talk when they were freshmen and hoped his kids knew to keep it in their pants until they were ready. Vanessa knew Cooper was sexually active since he was in the tenth grade after finding a partial box of condoms in his sock drawer, but he never once told her about any of the antics he got into with his various girlfriends over the years. She was surprised and actually really grateful for Blaine's honesty.

"That means a lot that you told me that, B," she said with genuine gratitude in her voice. "And I want you to know that your father and I trust you to make smart decisions when it comes to… that." They were in a crowded restaurant and she didn't want to say anything too specific to make her son more embarrassed than he clearly already was. "You two be good to each other, okay?" Blaine nodded. "And I want you to promise me that neither of you are going to pressure each other into doing anything before you're ready." Blaine nodded again, cheeks burning bright red. Vanessa smiled, hoping he would relax a bit. "I love you, Blaine."

The waitress came back and placed a salad in front of Blaine and lasagna in front of Vanessa. They both offered her grateful smiles and thanks before she walked away.

"I promise," he said in a low voice, staring at the table in embarrassment. Blaine swallowed hard and picked up his fork before looking his mom square in the eye and offering her a small, albeit sincere, smile. "I love you too, mom." He stabbed a few pieces of lettuce and a tomato before popping the entire forkful in his mouth. It felt good to tell the truth. It felt better knowing he was going to be so close to Kurt and that his parents were supportive of their relationship.

…

Before they boarded the plane, Kurt pulled Carole aside and asked if she wouldn't mind switching seats with him so that he could be next to his dad on the return flight back to Ohio. When Kurt leaned in and whispered that he was going to talk to his dad about him and Blaine, she understood immediately and agreed to sit with Finn while Kurt and Burt sat alone a few rows ahead.

Burt was a bit surprised to see his son sit down next to him instead of his wife, but it didn't matter to him because they both were the most special people in his life and private time with either of them was a blessing. He watched as Kurt buckled himself in and then nervously fidgeted around in his seat – something that was uncharacteristic of his son.

"What's up, bud?" Burt asked, hoping his son would just spit out whatever it was that was bothering him.

Kurt curled his lips on themselves, wondering just how to tell his dad about the escalation of his and Blaine's relationship from friends to boyfriends. With a sigh, he resigned to the fact that honesty was probably the best route. "You know Blaine, right?"

Burt chuckled, "The kid from the boat who you were playing footsie with at lunch the other day?" Burt raised his eyebrows and smiled at his son, "Yeah, I know him."

Kurt blushed, not realizing his dad saw them. "Um, right. Well… we're kinda of… boyfriends."

The smile was still plastered on Burt's face, but he was trying desperately not to laugh out loud. It wasn't that what Kurt was saying was funny, it was just that Kurt looked so unbelievably nervous and uncomfortable that Burt almost lost it. Kurt didn't know whether to be mortified or frustrated at his dad's response.

"Kid, you gotta lighten up," Burt said as he put a hand on his son's knee. "I don't know if you thought I was going to be mad or something, but I'm not." He patted Kurt's knee twice for emphasis. "In fact, I think it's great."

Blue eyes widened as Kurt's eyebrows shot upward. "You do?"

With a nod and a few more knee pats, Burt reassured his son. "Yeah, I do. Look, Kurt, I don't know if I've seen you that happy before." Burt thought to himself to make sure he was right, "Well, not recently anyway. You were pretty much the happiest kid ever when you got that tea set for Christmas when you were seven –"

"Dad!"

"The point _is_," Burt said as he shifted his body toward his son, offering up his full attention and support. "If you two make each other happy, then I think it's great that you're boyfriends. He's a good kid. He's got a real nice family." Kurt knew his dad was supportive, but was not expecting him to be this supportive. Burt caught on to his son's disbelief. "His dad and I had a few beers. We'll have to have them all over sometime for a barbeque or something." Kurt's mouth dropped open a bit. "What?"

Kurt shook his head. "Nothing, I mean nothing…" He shifted around in his seat, trying to make himself more comfortable but failing spectacularly. "But, like, no lecture about how we've only known each other for a few days, or how it's too soon to be in a relationship?"

Burt was a bit concerned that his son thought he deserved some sort of talking to, leading him to think that maybe he didn't know the whole story. "I wasn't gonna give you one, but it sounds like maybe I should. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Well," Kurt started. "On the boat, Blaine and I kinda… spent the night together."

That got Burt's attention. "Hey, hey, hey. Dating is one thing, Kurt, but are you tryin' to tell me you already know this kid well enough to… well, you know… do _that_ with each other?"

Kurt's head whipped around, cringing that his dad was getting loud and upset. "Jesus, Dad, keep it down! We didn't have _sex_," Kurt hissed. "We just slept in the same bed together."

"Just sleeping?"

With a sigh, Kurt nodded. "Just sleeping. I swear."

Burt knew his son was telling the truth. "Why are you telling me this? I mean, you coulda gotten away Scott Free and I would have been none the wiser."

"It's just – I've always felt like I could tell you everything and even though this is super awkward, I… I thought you should know. So, that way when I ask to hang out with Blaine when we get back to Ohio, you'll… let me."

So many thoughts were going through Burt's head. Of course he was going to let his son hang out with Blaine. And of course he trusted his son, but he kind of figured Kurt would be a lot older when he got a boyfriend since he didn't know any other gay kids. In all honesty, Burt wasn't ready to give his kid the sex talk because he didn't know what that entailed for kids like Kurt. He saw _Brokeback Mountain_. He saw it probably twenty times. As far as Burt could tell, something went down in that tent. He wasn't sure what exactly or how, but it was definitely sex.

"Look, Kurt," Burt said softly. "I'm sorry. You can hang out with Blaine. But this conversation isn't over, okay? There's some, well s_tuff_ we gotta discuss… ground rules and whatnot for when you guys go out or when he's over at the house. You understand?"

Kurt nodded and settled back in his seat. "I do. Thanks, Dad."

Each Hummel kept to himself the remainder of the flight, trying to read a magazine, but distracted by the fact that there was going to be more awkwardness to get through.

…

Blaine was lying on his bed with his phone in hand, willing it to ring. He almost rolled off the bed and onto the floor when it rang a few moments later, Kurt's name coming up on his screen.

"Hello? Kurt?!"

Kurt giggled at Blaine's obvious enthusiasm. "Hey, Blaine. You sound out of breath. Do you need me to call back?"

"NO!" Blaine almost shouted as he righted himself. "I mean, I'm fine. Honest." There was a beat. "Okay, so I almost fell out of bed. I just… I just couldn't wait to hear your voice." The youngest Anderson voice was low and bashful by this point.

"Oh, Blaine," Kurt said, his breath almost taken away by his painfully honest boyfriend. "I can't even tease you about that because that's just…" He shook his head even though Blaine couldn't see him. "I couldn't wait to hear your voice too." Blaine blushed. Hard. He liked Kurt so much and it made his head spin in the best way possible to know that Kurt felt the same way. "So, how's the new house?"

"It's… different, that's for sure. But it's nice. There's a garden for my mom and I pretty much have the whole third floor to myself since Cooper is only home around the holidays." Blaine flopped back down on his bed, making himself comfortable as he expected to be on the phone for a while. "I noticed a new guitar when I was unpacking some of my music stuff last night and am pretty sure my parents got it because they felt guilty about the move." He scrubbed a hand over his face. "They didn't have to do that. They _shouldn't_ have done that."

Kurt shrugged. He was lying on his own bed; his luggage was uncharacteristically still packed and piled next to his desk chair. Talking to his boyfriend was infinitely more important than doing wash at the moment. "I think they probably know they didn't have to do that, but your parents seem like the kind of people who just want to see you happy. And music makes you happy, right?'

"Yeah," Blaine admitted.

"Well then there's your answer."

There was a pleasant moment of silence as each boy hummed to himself. Blaine was the first to speak up as he had something to get off his chest.

"Kurt?"

"Yeah?"

Blaine heaved a heavy sigh. "I told my mom about us, um, being boyfriends…. And sleeping together on the boat." He clenched his eyes shut, waiting for Kurt to get upset at him, and was genuinely surprised when he heard Kurt choke back a chuckle on the other end of the line. "I'm sorry – does that _amuse _you?"

"It's just that… I'm sorry, I shouldn't be laughing," Kurt apologized. "I kinda told my dad too. About that. You know, the boat… and, uh, us."

"Was he mad?" Blaine asked quickly, hoping he wasn't because Burt Hummel's approval was something he desperately wanted.

"He wasn't mad, per se," Kurt mused. "Like, he was really supportive of the two of us being boyfriends -"

"- Yay," Blaine interjected as he squeezed a fist in triumph.

"But, he said he still had some stuff he wanted to talk over with me. Something about ground rules for when you come over… but the fact that he mentioned you coming over was a good sign, right?"

Blaine shrugged and scrunched his nose, though in an _I can't believe I have a boyfriend and got the all clear to go to his house_ kind of way. "I'd like to think so."

"What'd your mom say?"

"Um, she said it was cute that we made our relationship official –"

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"

Blaine grinned at Kurt's response. "She also made me promise that neither one of us would pressure the other into doing something we weren't ready for."

Kurt nodded, "That was fair. I mean, I hope you know I would never want you to do something you weren't comfortable with."

Blaine's face softened with a half smile. "Kurt, I trust you. And I think as long as we keep talking about what we are or are not ready for, then I think we'll be fine. I mean… I just had my first kiss the other night, so I don't think I'm going to be ready for anything that would require, like, a condom, quite yet."

Kurt felt almost scandalized. "Blaine!"

Blaine chuckled, "See. You aren't ready for anything either if you can't even hear me say the word 'condom' without reacting like that."

"Like what?" Kurt challenged.

"CONDOM," Blaine said loudly through a laugh.

"BLAINE!"

Blaine was rolling around on his bed at that point, happy tears pooling up at the corners of his eyes. "See?" He was so happy hearing Kurt's giggles in his ear.

"You are impossible," Kurt muttered, though his tone was anything but malicious.

Blaine smiled, "But you still like me."

"That I do," Kurt replied through his own grin.

"Do you like me enough to want to go shopping with me tomorrow?" Blaine asked, knowing Kurt would probably jump at the chance to help him buy new outfits for school. What he didn't know was that he should have pulled the phone away from his ear when Kurt responded with vigor.

"OH MY GOD, CAN I PICK OUT YOUR CLOTHES?! Your skin tone would look AMAZING with the colors that are on trend right now…" Kurt's voice trailed off, deep in thought about the prospect of what would look best on his boyfriend.

Blaine closed his eyes and ran his free hand through his hair. He realized a moment too late that he actually didn't know what he was getting himself into. With a small sigh, he broke into a genuine smile. Kurt was just so unabashedly himself and Blaine completely admired that character trait. Blaine wanted to be himself too, and he hoped that with Kurt's help, that could be a reality. "Um, Kurt."

"Yeah?!" Kurt's mind was running a mile a minute, making mental lists of what Blaine needed to get.

"I'll let you pick out some stuff if you promise not to shout again."

Blaine heard Kurt's mouth open as if he were going to say something, but then there was the familiar sound of teeth closing together. He imagined Kurt fighting with himself to say that he wasn't shouting, but then thinking better of it. "What time and where do you want to meet?" Kurt's voice was forcefully calm and definitely a lot softer than before.

"Ummmmmmm," Blaine was not sure what the shopping situation was in Lima, but he knew there were stores at Polaris Fashion Place that he liked. Plus, if they went there, he could take Kurt out to dinner at one of the nicer sit-down places. "I usually go to Polaris, but if you know of somewhere better-"

"- No, that's perfect!" Kurt cut in excitedly only to stop himself short. "Oh, sorry. I mean, yes," he said much more calmly. "Polaris would be fine for our shopping endeavors."

Blaine grinned, "Great. You wanna get there early afternoon? That'll give us a few hours to shop, and I'd like to take you to dinner, if that's okay with you?"

Kurt blushed as he rolled around on his bed - grateful Blaine couldn't see him. "Like, on a date?"

"Yeah," Blaine said quietly. "A date." He had never asked anyone out on a date before, but he marveled at the way the word sounded coming out of his mouth and smiled, knowing it applied to him and Kurt.

"Mmmmm," Kurt hummed in excitement, knowing he should probably get off the phone before he wholly embarrassed himself. "So, I'll see you there at 1:00? Meet by Brooks Brothers?"

Blaine nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

"Okay great," Kurt said quickly. "Um, I should go. I have to go. My dad, I mean… yeah, so I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Blaine repeated.

"Bye Blaine."

"See ya, Kurt."

Kurt hit the end call button on his phone and rolled onto his back, staring up at his ceiling. He rubbed the side of his phone with his fingers, thinking about how he couldn't wait to see Blaine the next day, but also how he couldn't wait to pick out clothes for his boyfriend to try on.

In all his excitement, Kurt forgot to ask Blaine where his family moved.

In all his excitement, Blaine forgot to tell Kurt that they were going to school together.

There was always tomorrow.


	6. SaturdaySundayMonday

A/N: There will be one more chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. (Also, you will find that I borrowed some dialogue from 2x15 and the lyrics to a well-known Katy Perry song... I don't own any of that either.)

* * *

SATURDAY

Kurt hummed to himself as he made whole grain pancakes. Carole had already left for her shift at the hospital and Finn was likely going to still be asleep by time he left to go meet Blaine, but his dad was out running an errand and said he'd be back soon, so Kurt thought that a healthy breakfast would be a nice way to greet his father upon his return.

The front door opened just as Kurt was plating the last pancake. "Excellent timing, Dad," he called out from the kitchen. "Get 'em while they're hot."

Burt entered the kitchen to find his son had set the table for the two of them. Glasses of orange juice and mugs of coffee were already poured. There were two plates of pancakes and a bottle of sugar-free syrup waiting on the table. With a smile, Burt slid into his usual seat and waited for his son to sit down before picking up his knife and fork.

"This looks great kid," Burt said with a smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Kurt replied with a grin, always happy to prepare his dad something heart-healthy. "So," he continued as he put a forkful of pancakes into his own mouth. "Where were you this morning?"

Burt finished chewing and swallowed before answering, his eyebrows furrowing in the process. "Oh, um," he cleared his throat. "I, uh, went to the free clinic to pick up these." He set his utensils down and pulled several crinkled pamphlets from his back pocket. Slowly, Burt slid them over the tabletop toward his son. "I flipped through them in the car and it seems like the, uh, _mechanics_ of what you'd be doing is covered in there. I want you to read them and then talk to me about it a little later, okay?"

Kurt almost choked on his breakfast when he saw the titles on the reading material his dad was presenting him, as pamphlets about safe sex were definitely not on his agenda for the morning. He looked at his dad, mortified. "What are you – we are not talking about this!"

Shifting his chair to completely face his son, Burt looked his kid square in the eyes. "Yes we are. Now, I want to have this conversation less than you do, _trust me_, but we are going to get through this and we will be better men because of it."

"Oh my god," Kurt muttered, bringing his hands up to cover his face, wishing this was just some terribly awkward nightmare he could just wake up from.

"Now look," Burt said, "For most guys, sex is just this thing we want to do. It feels great and we're not really thinking about what it makes us feel like on the inside, or how the other person feels."

Kurt's cheeks were bright red, but he figured if he just went along with it, maybe the conversation would end sooner. "So, women are different?"

Burt broke eye contact for a moment, searching how to phrase it. "It's just that they get that it's more than just sex. It's not just the physical aspect of it… it's like, being intimate with somebody, and exposing yourself – not just your body, but your heart – _that_ way… it _means_ something." Kurt nodded, taking in the information and trying to process everything as his dad continued to speak. "You're never going to be more vulnerable with someone and that really scares the hell outta a lot of guys. And I have had so many buddies who got in way over their heads with women who said that they were cool just hooking up."

"But that's not going to happen to _me_, Dad."

"No," Burt said as he shook his head. "It's not. It's gonna be a lot worse because it's_ two_ guys and you got two people who think that sex is just sex. It's gonna be easier to come by and once you start doing stuff, you're not going to want to stop." Burt saw the frown on his son's face. "Look, Kurt, I'm not saying _you_ specifically are going to do this, but you gotta know that there are gonna be other guys out there who are just looking for something quick." Burt clapped a hand on his son's shoulder. "I just need you to realize that being intimate with someone does something _to you_, to your heart, to your self-esteem, even though it just feels like you're having fun."

"So, you're saying that I… shouldn't have sex."

Burt sighed. "I think on your thirtieth birthday, it's a great gift to yourself." Kurt rolled his eyes as his dad leaned in. "Kurt, when you're ready, I want you to be able to do everything. But you should use it as a way to connect to another person." Burt waited until his son looked him in the eye before he finished speaking. "Don't throw yourself around like you don't matter. Because you matter, Kurt."

The words bore into his heart. Though this was definitely one of the most awkward moments of Kurt's life, he knew his dad was just trying to do the right thing. McKinley's sex-ed class was a video about heterosexual intercourse and a demonstration about how to roll a condom onto an oversized cucumber. Too worried about his browser history, Kurt didn't dare look up anything remotely scandalous on his laptop and he didn't know how to broach the topic with any of his friends because most of them were just as clueless. The pamphlets were likely going to answer a lot of unasked questions, but Burt's frank advice and reminder to his son that he was worthy of being treated with respect even in his most vulnerable state was definitely an eye-opener.

Kurt always felt weird for not being sexually active like some of the people who taunted him at school – as if his gayness and virginity were reason enough to get picked on. But his dad's words made him glad he hadn't pursued anything he wasn't ready for. Sex was supposed to be with someone he loved, and Kurt hadn't found that person. But now he had Blaine, and though he didn't love Blaine yet, he could easily see himself falling for the boy.

Burt watched as his son collected the pamphlets and shoved them under his plate and out of sight for now.

"Thanks, Dad," Kurt said softly before getting back to his pancakes.

"I love you, bud."

"Love you too."

…

Blaine paced in front of the entrance to Brooks Brothers. According to his pocket watch, it was 12:57 and he was a few minutes early to meet Kurt. He snapped the lid shut and placed the Anderson heirloom back in his front pocket. He put a hand up to smooth his hair, wishing he put some gel in it that morning before he left. But, he knew he would likely be pulling shirts on and off and didn't want to run the risk of getting product on all the clothes he was trying on if he wasn't intending on buying everything.

"Hey you."

A smile crept across Blaine's face as he turned around to find Kurt walking toward him. Blaine bit his lip, eternally grateful that he was seeing his beautiful boyfriend in person. They had only been apart for a couple days, but somehow Kurt's eyes were brighter than Blaine imagined in his mind the past few nights and that voice was so much more pure and joyful in person than over the phone.

"Kurt!"

The younger boy practically skipped his last few steps to the sidewalk in front of the store. Without thinking or even bothering to look around to see if there was anyone else in the immediate area, Kurt threw his arms around Blaine's shoulders and wrapped him in a warm hug. As they embraced, Kurt buried his nose in Blaine's neck and breathed him in. He sighed in contentment as the smells of coffee, cologne and the distinct scent that just was _Blaine_ filled his nose and made his heart melt.

Blaine scrunched his face as Kurt hummed into his neck. "What are you doing?"

"Mmmmmm, nothing," Kurt said. "You just smell really good."

"Uh, thanks." Blaine blushed hard.

Kurt pulled away and smiled at his boyfriend. "I missed you."

"I missed you too. But guess what? I OH–"

Blaine was interrupted when a bitchy looking woman walked out of the store and practically knocked the two of them over with her bags.

"Geez, watch where you're going, lady," Kurt muttered under his breath as he managed to keep himself upright by grabbing onto Blaine's arm. "Well, should we go in before we get trampled again?"

With a small sigh and a nod, Blaine agreed and held the door open for Kurt. The younger boy stepped into the store and his eyes lit up at all the potential outfits in front of them.

…

Three hours later and they were still in Brooks Brothers. Kurt sat on a bench in the dressing room area, in between stacks of clothes.

From inside his dressing room, Blaine yanked the shirt he just finished trying on over his head and slid it back on its hanger before picking up a folded black polo off the top of the pile of clothes he had yet to try on. Holding it up to the mirror, Blaine squinted, trying to imagine how such a small shirt was going to fit on him. He knew he was tiny, but there was no way he was going to get that on without ripping something or pulling a muscle.

"I don't know about this, Kurt. I usually wear a Medium."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I didn't say anything while we were on the boat because I wasn't your boyfriend then, but your shirts were too baggy. You have nice arms and I think you should show them off a little bit more."

Blaine had the shirt halfway on when he stopped and grinned. He called out, "You like my arms?"

"Just put the shirt on Blaine. And pair it with those red pants."

The shirt was on and clinging to Blaine like it was a second layer of skin. He brushed his curls out of his eyes and took a closer look in the mirror. "Whoa," he whispered as he looked at his reflection, noticing that his arms did look pretty decent before finally processing what Kurt said about red pants. "Red pants? I don't see any –"

"Bottom of the stack."

"Oh." Kurt must have snuck those in there because Blaine does not remember grabbing them off the shelf. He unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, pulling them off one leg at time before shaking out the red pants and putting them on. "Uh, Kurt," he said when he saw that the bottom of the pants were a good couple inches above his ankles. "I know I'm short, but I'm not_ that_ short."

"That's how they're supposed to look, Blaine. Now would you please get out here so I can see?"

Blaine gave himself the once over in the mirror. Even though Kurt had seen him without a shirt when they were swimming and at the beach, it didn't make him any less self-conscious about being seen in the kind of clothes he wasn't used to wearing. He opened the door to the dressing room, but shook his head as he looked down at his bare feet. "I don't know, I think this might look awf–"

"Amazing." Kurt's jaw dropped at the sight of his boyfriend. "Blaine, that looks fantastic."

Blaine's face turned as red as his pants. "Really? I mean I feel kinda silly." He shoved his hands in the pockets of the short pants and rocked on the balls of his feet.

With a half smile, Kurt got up and walked over toward Blaine. The store wasn't that crowded for some reason and they were the only people in the fitting room area (which was why Kurt was able to bogart the whole bench for stacks of clothes he wanted Blaine to try on). With a gentle touch, Kurt fixed the collar on Blaine's shirt, smoothing it down and then running his hand down the length of Blaine's arm until their hands were clasped. The clothes fit Blaine extremely well, but Kurt noticed that his boyfriend looked wholly uncomfortable. "This looks really good on you, but I can tell you don't think so." Kurt gave him a soft peck on the cheek. "Thank you for trying this on for me even though I can tell that you hate it."

Blaine ducked his head, unwilling to accept the compliments or meet Kurt's eye because he didn't know how to relay to his boyfriend that it wasn't completely terrible, it was just all so new. "I don't _hate_ it," Blaine admitted quietly. "It's just that I feel really… exposed." He tugged at the hem of the shirt, pulling it away from his stomach where it was clinging to his abs. "I'm used to a blazer, you know?"

Kurt nodded, understanding that Blaine had adapted to blending in. "Before Dalton, at your old school, what did you like to wear then?"

A small smile crept across Blaine's lips as if he were remembering a better time. "You're gonna laugh," he said with a chuckle, "but I used to wear bowties."

Blue eyes widened with delight. "Bowties?"

Blaine laughed at Kurt's enthusiasm and felt brave enough to look at Kurt's face. He nodded, "Mmm hmm. Real loud ones, too. Checks. Plaids. Stripes."

"Oh my goodness, that's adorable!" Kurt gushed. "Please tell me you have pictures."

"Ha. Yeah, I'm sure I do somewhere."

Kurt hummed, raking his eyes over his boyfriend and wishing he could transfer some of his own confidence to Blaine. "You know, this outfit would look even more perfect with a bowtie," Kurt said softly as he shook their clasped hands. "But so would a lot of the other clothes you tried on too." He waited until Blaine locked eyes with him before he continued. "What do you say to calling it quits? I think I remember my boyfriend mentioning he was going to take me to dinner and I'd hate to keep him waiting."

Blaine grinned, knowing it was really generous of Kurt to put an early end to their shopping. "Your boyfriend is a very lucky guy."

With a shakes of his head, Kurt disagreed. "Not as lucky as me."

After an all too brief kiss was cut even shorter by a fitting room attendant clearing his throat, Blaine shuffled back into his dressing room to change back into his own clothes.

While Blaine was busy sorting through the items he had with him in the fitting room, Kurt dashed around the corner to the Men's Accessories section and quickly scanned through the bowties on display. He groaned when he thought he was taking too long, but he wasn't going to be satisfied until he found exactly what he had in mind. Almost giving up, a swatch of fabric caught Kurt's eye and he knew he had the most perfect bowtie for Blaine. He grabbed the tie and stepped up to the empty register, pulling out his wallet and swiping his credit card before the sales associate even had time to tell him the total with tax. Kurt grabbed a pen from the counter and scrawled a note on the back of the receipt before shoving it into the bag.

By time Kurt got back to the fitting room area, Blaine was exiting his room, with stacks of clothes draped over each arm. Kurt raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend, silently asking what Blaine was intending to do with all the clothes. "These are the keepers," Blaine said as he raised one of the stacks. "And these are not."

The red pants and black polo were neatly folded atop the "keep" pile.

Kurt blushed as he followed Blaine to the cash register, holding his own purchase behind his back so that Blaine wouldn't see it.

After paying for his new clothes, they ran the bags back to Blaine's car. Kurt snuck his bag into one of Blaine's before placing it alongside the others in the trunk. Once their hands were free from Brooks Brothers bags, Blaine bashfully held out an arm for Kurt to take before they walked over to the seafood restaurant Blaine had in mind.

…

Kurt's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets when he saw the prices on the menu, causing Blaine to chuckle.

"Get whatever you want, Kurt," Blaine said. "Today's adventure has been completely compt by Mama and Papa Anderson for uprooting their son slash, and I quote, 'being so happy that you're dating that nice boy, you should take him to that place we took you and Coop for your birthday that one time,' unquote." He shrugged when Kurt smiled. "Being the lowest maintenance child has its perks."

A waiter came by and took their order. The boys thanked him and smiled as they handed over their menus.

"So, you just have the one brother, right?"

Blaine took a sip of his water and nodded. "Mmm hmm," he answered after he swallowed. "Yeah, Cooper. He's a little over ten years older than me."

Kurt cocked his head as he thought. Ten years was a big age gap. "Are you two close?"

Blaine shrugged. "We weren't, but we kind of are now. After the whole me getting beat up thing, he's made more of an effort to check in on me. I'm supposed to go visit him for a few weeks this summer."

Just as Kurt was about to ask where his brother lived, his phone started ringing. The "Free Credit Rating Today" jingle sounded softly, but loud enough for Blaine to hear it. Kurt's cheeks flushed red in embarrassment as he quickly fumbled to shut the volume off on his phone. "Oh my god, I'm sorry about that. I thought I had turned it off." Blaine's eyes were wide in near-shock, causing Kurt to wonder what was up. "Blaine?"

"Why is that your ringtone?"

Kurt was confused, but embarrassed at the same time. "Oh, that? I mean… this is going to sound dumb, but it's really catchy and I thought the guy in the commercial was kind of cute." Blaine clenched his jaw as Kurt tried to back peddle. "I mean, it was obviously just a silly crush on some actor and I've been meaning to change it, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet." He quickly changed the topic, or sat least so he thought. "So, that's cool that you'll get to stay with your brother! Do you have a picture of him or anything?"

Almost mechanically, Blaine retrieved his phone from his pocket and turned it on. He went to the photo app and scrolled down to a family photo album. There were several pictures of him and Cooper, but he stopped on one of when Cooper came to visit him while he was in physical therapy. Blaine had just finished walking the length of the room with his walker for the first time and Cooper's face was lit up with pride, giving a huge grin and thumbs up to the camera. The youngest Anderson slid his phone across the table toward Kurt.

Kurt gingerly picked up the phone and to his credit, his eyes immediately found Blaine in the picture first. "This was from after you were in the hospital, wasn't it?" His eyes were still on the photo, but he could see Blaine nod in his peripherals. "Gosh, you look so determined and – wait a second." His eyes finally found the other person in the photo. "Why is the Free Credit Rating guy there? I asked to see a picture of your – OH." Kurt lifted his head to find Blaine looking at the phone in Kurt's hand. Kurt scrolled through a couple more pictures, seeing the same two faces over and over again before holding the phone out for Blaine to take.

Blaine accepted the phone, quickly turned it off and placed it back in his pocket. "Yeah… oh," he said softly, looking at the table top instead of his boyfriend. Growing up, Cooper was always the center of attention. Though Blaine didn't mind being in the shadows, it hurt a little bit that Kurt was infatuated with Cooper too, even though it was obvious that Kurt didn't actually know they were related. It was weird, though; finding out your boyfriend had a crush on your brother - enough so for him to be his ringtone.

"Blaine," Kurt pled as he reached a hand across the table, hoping Blaine would take that as well. "Hey, look at me, please?" It took a few seconds longer than it probably should, but Blaine brought his eyes up to lock with Kurt's. "I don't know what you're thinking right now, but this doesn't change anything. I mean, yeah, I like your brother – your family obviously has some ridiculously handsome gene – but I _like_ you."

At that, Blaine gave a small smile and inched his hand towards Kurt's. Instead of slotting their hands together, Blaine grabbed two of Kurt's fingers and flipped his hand over so that Blaine could rub his thumb over Kurt's knuckles. He didn't say anything, but the gesture allowed Kurt to know that Blaine was okay.

Their hands stayed together while Blaine changed the topic for real. "So, have you seen any of your friend since you've been back?"

Kurt shook his head. "I texted Mercedes last night, and I think we're hanging out tomorrow, but I'm going to just wait until Monday to see everybody else. I mean, love them and everything, but it's actually been kinda nice not having to deal with everybody else's drama for a week."

Blaine raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

The sound of plates clacking against each other momentarily pulled them out of conversation as their food was brought to the table. Hands were separated as each boy was served. Several Thank Yous were offered to the server who also brought them another carafe of water.

Kurt placed his napkin on his lap and picked up his fork, twirling his fettuccini as he explained to Blaine about the catfights that had sprouted up regarding junior prom. Half the girls in the glee club were running against each other for Prom Queen and their pettiness plagued Facebook and Twitter.

"Wow," Blaine remarked while dipping some of his lobster in butter sauce. "Is that how things normally are at your school?" It was probably best if he knew what he was getting himself into before starting at McKinley on Monday. He hoped to join the glee club and potentially befriend Kurt's peer group, but he was afraid that entering a battle already in progress was not going to be to his advantage.

Kurt shrugged as he chewed, giving himself a little time to properly word things. "Well," he said after he swallowed. "Everyone's great, but really selfish at times. I mean, we sound amazing as a group, but everyone's always fighting for their turn in the spotlight, you know?"

Blaine nodded, "I think I understand."

"I hope things are better for you at your new school," Kurt muttered as he stabbed a piece of shrimp.

"What's that?" Blaine asked. He heard what Kurt said, but was hoping his boyfriend would expand on his comment.

"Nothing," Kurt said. "Well, no, I guess it's not nothing. It's just…" he sighed. "I hope you get to be yourself at your new school and that nobody picks on you for it."

Blaine set his fork down and sat back, letting Kurt's words wash over him. He knew about the bullying Kurt dealt with, but it seemed like Kurt also put up with crap from his friends. Maybe being at McKinley was a bad idea. Blaine's heart started to race a bit, worrying that it was going to be a repeat of the last public school he went to. Maybe he could ask his parents if there was another school in the area that he could go to instead.

Preoccupied with panic about McKinley, Blaine completely missed that Kurt asked him a question.

"Blaine?"

At the sound of his name, Blaine snapped back to the conversation. "Hmm?"

"I asked if you knew where you'll be going to school?"

"Oh, um," Blaine stalled. He could easily say McKinley, but what if he could find somewhere safer to go? It would be wrong to get Kurt's hopes up only to crush them if or when he got transferred before he even started. "I don't know. I mean, I don't remember the name of it." He lied. "But it's in, uh, Dayton somewhere." He lied again and felt awful. He felt even worse when Kurt seemed to accept what he said as truth.

"Hmm. Dayton." Kurt looked up at the ceiling, calculating about how long it would take to get there. "That's like, what, an hour and a half away from Lima?"

"Um, yeah, I think so," Blaine stammered.

"That's not so bad," Kurt said with a warm smile that quickly turned to a look of embarrassment. "I was worried you had moved to Youngstown or Cleveland or something and that I wouldn't get to see you."

"Oh," Blaine said, his heart melting at Kurt's words. "Hey, no. We'll see each other a lot." He reached out for Kurt's hand and the younger boy eagerly took it. "I promise." Kurt's grin made Blaine feel sick on the inside for lying. He would hopefully be able to explain himself later, but first he needed to talk to his parents about other school options in their general vicinity. "New topic?" Kurt shrugged and nodded his head. "Um…" He blushed. "I actually have nothing. I unpacked some more stuff, but that's really about all since I talked to you yesterday." He picked up his water glass and took a sip as he raised his eyebrows to Kurt, silently asking if he had anything to share.

"Well, my dad gave me the sex talk this morning…"

Blaine choked on his water, sending the sip he had in his mouth partially back into his cup, but mostly down his chin and onto his lap with the rest of the contents of his glass.

The rest of their meal was less eventful. They quickly eased into conversation about favorite musicals and movies and the rest of the evening was spent giggling at each other's guilty pleasures.

After sharing two slices of cheesecake for dessert, the boys walked back to their cars. Hands tangled between them as they leaned in for a blissfully sweet kiss. Upon parting, Kurt leaned his forehead against Blaine's and made the older boy promise to call him the following night. Another kiss turned into three more before Kurt's phone beeped with a text from his father asking him to pick up some more milk on his way home because of something stupid Finn did on a dare from Puck. Blaine gave Kurt a look only to have the younger boy shake him off with a final kiss and whispered words of "another time."

Though his pants were still damp by time he drove home, Blaine figured he deserved that discomfort having lied to his boyfriend.

...

SUNDAY

Finn winced when Kurt set the new gallon of milk down in front of him at the breakfast table.

"Thirsty?" Kurt couldn't help but smirk as he watched Finn squirm in his seat. "I mean, really Finn? What on earth could make you think you could do the Gallon Challenge? You've seen the youtube videos. And I know you've seen the youtube videos because you made _me_ watch the youtube videos." Finn buried his face in his hands and Kurt's eyes widened. "Oh my god, you're one of the youtube videos now aren't you?! Puck taped you puking, didn't he?"

Burt called out from the other room, "Leave your brother alone, Kurt."

Kurt smiled smugly as he sat down across the table from Finn. He would have teased his brother some more, but he was distracted when his phone beeped. A text from Mercedes inquired as to when Kurt would be getting to her house. Fingers flying as he typed out a response, he promised to be there after lunch.

…

Vanessa Anderson was kissing her husband goodbye as she was leaving the house for work by the time her youngest son meandered down the steps. Though she needed to get going, Vanessa noticed Blaine looked a little panicked. She locked eyes with her husband and nodded to their son, who was trudging from the foyer steps to the kitchen. Having been together for thirty years, Ethan Anderson knew his wife wanted him to find out what was wrong with Blaine and let her know his findings. With a nod, Ethan gave his wife a half smile before she closed the front door behind herself.

Ethan walked into the kitchen to find Blaine pouring himself some Cocoa Puffs. There was a rule in the house that sugary cereal was only allowed to be consumed on birthdays, major holidays and bad days. The last time Ethan saw Blaine eat Cocoa Puffs on a non-birthday or holiday was the day before he started at Dalton. With a sigh, Ethan grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and placed it on the counter next to the bowl Blaine was pouring for himself. As Blaine readied a second bowl, Ethan grabbed milk from the refrigerator and placed that on the counter before taking their mugs off the hooks on the wall and filling them with freshly brewed coffee.

In comfortable silence, Blaine finished preparing their cereal while Ethan put their coffee mugs and a couple spoons onto the table. They sat down and started eating their Cocoa Puffs. Ethan knew better than to ask Blaine what was wrong because prying was not going to get him anywhere. For best results, it was wise to let Blaine get a few spoonfuls of his chocolate cereal into his stomach and allow him to bring up what was troubling him on his own accord.

Ethan began to assume the worst when it took Blaine one and a half bowls of cereal to finally start talking.

When Blaine finally spoke, his voice was quiet. "Are you sure I can't stay at Dalton?"

Ethan exhaled through his nose. He didn't answer right away because he knew what he was about to say was going to disappoint his son. "I'm sorry, Blaine, but that just isn't an option. Your mom and I talked it about it, but the commute is too far and we really don't want you to board because we'd never get to see you."

Blaine nodded, but kept his gaze on his half-eaten bowl of cereal. He knew this was going to be his dad's answer, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt any less. "Do I have to go to McKinley, though?"

This was definitely something Ethan was not expecting. The first thing Vanessa told him about enrolling Blaine in school on Friday was how excited he was to find out that it was the same school that Kurt and Finn attended. It made them both feel better knowing he already had friends at his new school. Well, not just friends, but a boyfriend. Ethan laughed when Vanessa told him that their son was dating the Hummel boy because he had a feeling on the boat that they were headed in that direction.

"I thought you were looking forward to being at the same school as Kurt?"

Blaine sighed and started fiddling with his coffee mug. "I was. It's just that… well, he gets bullied at school and nothing ever gets done about it and I…" His voice got real low. "I don't want to go to the hospital again, dad."

That confession broke Ethan's heart. He knew Blaine was a stronger man than people gave him credit for, but it killed him knowing his son still feared for his safety.

"Blaine, I know I can never apologize enough for what happened to you your freshman year. But I can promise you that your mother and I will continue to do everything we can to make sure that that will never happen again – to you, or any other kid."

Blaine looked up at his father through tearful eyes, knowing that by "any other kid" he meant Kurt. He had seen his dad upset before, but the look on his dad's face was more determined than anything else. "Dad." Blaine's own voice cracked, thick with emotion.

Ethan looked his son square in the eyes. "If you don't want to go to McKinley, we can find you a school in a neighboring district. But if you want to give it a try, I will go in and speak to the principal myself and make sure that you and your boyfriend don't have to put up with any shit from ignorant asshole kids." He added quickly, "Pardon my French."

Eyes still glassy, Blaine chuckled around the lump that was forming in his throat. There was never any doubt that his parents were behind him, but it was always reassuring to hear it firsthand and even better when his dad got riled up and swore (which rarely happened). "Good thing mom already left for work or she would have demanded at least fifty cents for those oratorical fireworks."

With a smile, Ethan clapped a hand on his son's back. "You're worth it. You're always worth it."

Blaine felt the tears welling up again, but he kept them at bay. He did, though, leap out of his chair and throw his arms around his dad.

…

Kurt knocked on Mercedes's front door just before 2:00pm and was greeted with an enthusiastic hug from his best friend.

"Oh my god, I haven't seen you in forever! Come in, come in!"

Mercedes ushered Kurt into the house and then called out to her mom that Kurt was there and that they were headed up to her room. Shouts of hellos were exchanged between Mrs. Jones and Kurt as Mercedes chased him up the stairs, giggling all the while.

Kurt flopped down onto Mercedes's bed. Her room was basically his second home and he felt completely at ease making himself as comfortable as possible. Dozens of sleepovers and countless secrets were shared within these walls.

Mercedes cozied up next to Kurt on the bed and asked a barrage of questions before Kurt had a chance to say anything. "So, how was the wedding? Are you already sick of having Finn as a brother? Did you have fun on the cruise? Meet any cute boys? Are you going to go to junior prom with me or not?"

A startled laugh escaped from Kurt's mouth. "Whoa there." He situated himself against the headboard as he thought about all that she was asking. "Um…" What was the first thing she asked him? Oh right, the wedding. "Well, the wedding was nice. A bit tacky, but somehow completely fitting of my dad and Carole. They really are perfect for each other."

A nod and giggle from Mercedes indicated that she agreed. "And how's your new _brother_?"

"Same old Finn. Last night he tried to drink a whole gallon of milk," Kurt said as he rolled his eyes. But, he smiled and shook his head. "I mean, I still can't believe I used to have a crush on him, but he's the best brother I could have ever hoped for. Don't tell him I said that, but it's the truth. I love him."

"Awwwwwww," Mercedes teased as she tickled Kurt's side, much to his chagrin. "What about the cruise?! Did you have fuuuuuuun? Meet any boooooooooys? Have any sssssssex on the beach?"

Kurt's cheeks burned bright red. "Mercedes!"

"You are too cute to not have other cute gay boys throwing themselves at you, boo."

"Well, there was this one guy who kept hitting on me." Mercedes waggled her eyebrows, hoping for a lascivious tale. "Don't get your hopes up, Cedes. He was vile and kept harassing me and Blaine."

"Blaine?"

Whoops.

As much as Kurt wanted to gush about his gorgeous and kind boyfriend, Kurt also wanted to keep his relationship under wraps – at least for the time being. Kurt loved Mercedes and thought of her as a sister from another mister, but what he had with Blaine was so new and kind of complicated. They had only known each other for a week and even though in some ways it felt like he had known Blaine forever, Kurt wasn't quite ready to divulge the details of their burgeoning relationship quite yet.

"Kurt," Mercedes said with an emphasis on the _t_ before asking again. "Who is Blaine?"

"Oh," Kurt said with a flick of his wrist. "He's just a friend I made on the boat. We met at an LGBTQ meeting the first night and then kinda hung out a few times during the rest of the trip. His family and my family got along really well, so we, like, went to the beach together and played trivia." They also kissed a few times and fell asleep in each other's arms and Kurt was pretty sure he was going to fall in love with Blaine someday, but Mercedes didn't have to know that. Not yet, anyway.

Mercedes raised a questioning eyebrow. "Just a friend?"

Kurt nodded. "Mmm hmm."

Her shoulders sank in disappointment. "Was he at least cute?"

A wide smile sprouted crookedly across Kurt's face. "The cutest."

Kurt was grateful but a little sad when Mercedes steered the conversation toward their upcoming junior prom. He was surprised when she wasn't mad when he said he wasn't going to go with her, and even more shocked when she mentioned that she was likely going to be going with Sam and Rachel as a group, so if Kurt wanted to join them, he could, but there was no pressure. She explained that they decided to do "prom on a budget" and that she and Rachel already got their dresses from the thrift store.

While Mercedes was in the bathroom changing into her dress so Kurt could see her in it and give her pointers on how she could accessorize, Kurt sat on her bed and hugged her teddy bear. He heaved a heavy sigh and thought about the school dance. Part of him really wanted to ask Blaine to go, but knowing how Blaine's last school dance left him physically broken, Kurt thought it would be extremely selfish and completely distasteful to even broach the topic with his boyfriend. Even though he would be sad to leave his custom-made kilt in his closet, maybe he and Blaine could go out on a date to see a movie or something while everyone else was at the dance. He smiled a small smile to himself as he buried his chin into the teddy bear's head. He might not be able to go to his junior prom and slow dance with his boyfriend, but at least he had a boyfriend.

"So, how do I look?"

Kurt looked up to find Mercedes in a gorgeous purple gown, twirling around for him to see her dress from all sides. His cheeks hurt from smiling at how beautiful his best friend was, both inside and out.

"You look amazing."

…

Blaine was seated on the floor of his bedroom with the Brooks Brothers bags surrounding him. He knew if he wanted to wear any of his new clothes tomorrow, he needed to get them in the washing machine soon so they would be out of the dryer before he went to bed. With a sigh, he reached into one of the bags and pulled out its contents. He smiled when he noticed the red pants among a sweater vest, fitted jeans and several cardigans.

When he went to grab clothes out of a second bag, his hand closed on a plastic bag among the softer materials of the shirts. "What the…?" he muttered to himself as he set the clothes down and settled the mysterious plastic bag in his lap.

His eyes crinkled in confusion as he pulled a red, white and black striped bowtie from the bag. He turned the material over in his hand, admiring the quality of the tie and wondering for the life of him how that ended up with his purchases. Seeing there was a receipt in the bag, Blaine pulled it out wondering if he could identify whose it was. He didn't have plans to return to Polaris anytime soon, but maybe he could call them and let them know that someone else's tie accidentally ended up in his bag.

Glancing at the piece of paper in his hand, Blaine saw that the name on the receipt belonged to his boyfriend and that there were bumpy lines all over it, as if someone wrote something on the back. Flipping over the receipt, Blaine's heart swelled when he saw a message meant just for him.

_Blaine – You are going to kick ass at your new school. I don't expect you to wear this right away, but when you feel the time is right to embrace the bowtie again, I will expect to see pictures. I'm so proud to be with you. Yours, Kurt xoxo_

Kurt.

Blaine bit his lip as he smiled, overwhelmed by how much he adored his boyfriend and how touching it was for Kurt to have so much belief in him when sometimes Blaine didn't feel like he had any in himself.

With the tie in between his fingers, Blaine's eyes grazed over the piles of clothes on the floor around him. He gently set the tie down and started ripping tags off of whatever was in reach. He knew what he would wear the next day, but it was probably better to wash everything he could so that he had new outfits ready for his first week at McKinley.

…

Blaine talked with his parents over dinner and was feeling more confident about going to school the following day. While seeing Kurt was definitely going to be the biggest perk of going to McKinley, his parents swore they would address Blaine's safety concerns with his new principal. Ethan went so far to say that he would contact Burt Hummel and see if he wanted to approach the school board with them to ensure their sons' safety. Blaine's eyes widened at his father's suggestion and Ethan could only shrug. Ethan liked Burt and was actually looking forward to getting to know him better, especially now that their sons were together. Blaine agreed, but jokingly asked his dad to hold off on asking his new BFF to storm the school until a little later in the week. He sheepishly confessed he hadn't actually told Kurt that they were going to the same school in case it was decided that he ended up transferring before he even started. Vanessa and Ethan nodded, promising that they would not contact Burt and Carole until Blaine had a chance to explain to Kurt that he hadn't exactly told the truth.

…

As promised, Blaine called Kurt that night. Blaine could hardly describe the feeling he got when he heard Kurt sigh with contentment into his ear over the phone. It was a good feeling, that was for sure, but something that made him giddy and warm all over as opposed to just happy.

Blaine thanked Kurt for the bowtie and promised that he would wear it soon. Kurt was elated, not only because he knew Blaine would look adorable in the tie, but because he could hear the growing confidence in Blaine's voice. He wondered how it was possible for him to already care so dearly for the older boy, but knew better than to over think it.

They talked about Blaine's first day back at public school and Blaine admitted to being nervous. Kurt tried to calm some of his fears by saying how Blaine was likely to make a slew of friends on his first day because he was so nice and charming. Blaine blushed and was grateful Kurt couldn't see how embarrassed he was at the compliments. It also took a lot of willpower for Blaine not to blurt out that he already had a couple friends at his new school and that one of them was his boyfriend. While he was desperate to tell Kurt the good news, Blaine really wanted to see the look on Kurt's face when he surprised him the following morning.

When it got to be late, Kurt said that he had to go and do his nightly skincare routine before he went to bed. Blaine chuckled and said that while he had no such routine, he should probably lay out his clothes and double check that he had everything he would need for school.

The two boys wished each other good night and the call ended after Blaine promised to text Kurt when he could throughout the following day so that Kurt knew he was okay.

Once his nightly routine was done and he was in bed, Kurt stared at the ceiling, praying to a god he didn't believe in that Blaine would make it through his first day at his new school.

On the other side of town, Blaine tossed and turned, hoping McKinley would not be a repeat of his old school. Though his brow was creased with worry when he finally drifted off to sleep, it softened throughout the night when he dreamed of walking down the halls with his boyfriend.

...

MONDAY

"Oh my god, what are you doing here?!" Kurt asked, beyond confused. Blaine was supposed to be at his new school in Dayton.

Blaine blushed, "I go here." He swallowed and then began to ramble when Kurt didn't say anything right away. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It's just that, for some reason when I found out we'd be together, I thought it was too good to be true. But then at dinner when you said you wished things were better for me at my new school, I panicked and thought maybe I should switch schools before I even started here. Then I realized I was an idiot because why would I want to be anywhere else when I could be with you, so I figured I would surprise you, but now I realize that was dumb. Like, really dumb. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. And… yeah. Hi." Blaine's face almost matched his pants as he bit his lip, waiting for Kurt to get mad at him. They had been dating less than a week and Blaine was mentally preparing himself to get dumped.

Mercedes had no idea what was going on and Kurt still wasn't talking. She addressed the handsome stranger. "Um, hello there. I see you know Kurt… I'm Mercedes Jones, Kurt's _best friend_. And you are?"

Kurt's eyes were still wide, in complete disbelief that Blaine was standing right there – dressed to perfection in the outfit he picked out for him just a couple days prior, complete with the bowtie. However, before Blaine could answer, Kurt chimed in, "My boyfriend."

"_Excuse me?_" Mercedes asked. "I _know_ I must be hearing things because you didn't tell me anything about a _boyfriend _yesterday, Kurt. Elizabeth. Hummel." She punctuated his name with smacks on his arm. She could instantly tell this was the Blaine guy from the cruise because of the way they were staring at each other, and she knew they were obviously more than just friends. Jealous and a little hurt, she was mostly happy for Kurt and whoever this other cute white boy was.

Kurt blushed hard, realizing he needed to make introductions (and fast). "Mercedes, this is Blaine," he said as Blaine reached a hand out toward the girl. "Blaine," Kurt said, very much enjoying the way his boyfriend's name sounded in his mouth when he said it out loud to his best friend, "this is Mercedes."

Mercedes lifted a hand up to slide into Blaine's and they shook. She was surprised at the gentle, yet still enthusiastic manner at which he shook her hand. His smile reached his eyes as he said, "It's so nice to meet you." Their hands dropped and there was an awkward silence. Luckily, that was soon filled by a familiar booming voice.

"Blaine!" The three of them whipped their heads around to see a smiling Finn walking toward them. He held a hand up for Blaine to high-5, which he did with a grin. "Hey man. Almost didn't recognize you with the gel helmet," Blaine chuckled as he put a hesitant hand up to his hair, not wanting to mess anything up. "What're you doing here?"

The youngest Anderson shifted on his feet, glancing quickly at a still-shocked Kurt before answering Finn. "I transferred here. Um, my dad works in Lima now."

Finn nodded, as if that was super logical and really the only explanation he needed. "Cool. Well, good to see you, dude." He gave Blaine another smile before clapping his stepbrother on the back. "Come on, bro, homeroom time."

Kurt cocked his head and looked at Finn as if to say _Give me a minute, because my boyfriend is standing in front of me and I still don't quite know what's going on_. "You go on and I'll catch up."

Sensing Kurt and Blaine needed a minute together, Mercedes looped her arm in Finn's and dragged him toward a classroom. "Let's _go_, Finn."

Though there was a small sea of other students in the hallway, both Kurt and Blaine only had eyes for each other.

"You're here," Kurt said quietly and in awe, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that his boyfriend was standing right in front of him. He tentatively reached a hand out and ran it down one of Blaine's arms, needing to feel the other boy in order to fully believe that he was actually there.

At the touch, Blaine smiled and ducked his head. "I'm here," he murmured before forcing himself to look back up at his boyfriend. "Kurt, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you the other day. It's just that I couldn't believe that we were actually going to be together and it all got really overwhelming."

Kurt shook him off, "Blaine, stop apologizing. I mean, yeah, it would have been nice of you to tell me that you went here instead of almost giving me a heart attack." Blaine clenched his jaw at the thought of upsetting Kurt. "But you're here. And _I'm_ here. And we get to see each other every day… I think that makes up for everything else, don't you?"

Blaine nodded, completely relieved that Kurt was gladder to see him than he was upset that he was lied to. Though Blaine still felt bad for lying to Kurt, he was determined to think of a way to make it up to him.

A bell sounded throughout the hallway, visibly startling Blaine. Kurt couldn't help but chuckle. "That's just the warning bell. We still have five minutes to actually get to homeroom. What room are you supposed to be in, anyway?"

Blaine pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it, checking where he needed to be. "Um, 208?"

Kurt smiled. "Great, I'm next door in 206… I'll walk ya to homeroom if you want?"

Quickly nodding, Blaine gladly accepted his boyfriend's offer.

During their short walk to homeroom, Kurt held out a hand, wordlessly asking to see Blaine's schedule, which the older boy immediately handed over. Kurt hummed as he glanced over Blaine's class list, seeing that they had AP American History, Pre-Calculus and lunch together. He noticed Blaine had a study hall his last period which was when the glee club met. Before he could ask if Blaine was going to audition for the New Directions, Blaine supplied the answer for him. "Oh, Miss Pillsbury talked to the glee supervisor and, um, I'm auditioning for it today. I hope that's okay with you? I mean, I probably should have asked you first, but she got me the audition before I found out that this was your school and –"

"Blaine." Kurt's voice was firm, but kind. "I would love if you were in glee club with me."

"Really?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "God, of course, Blaine. Spending time with you is a _good_ thing, remember?" Their peers began filing into the classrooms around them and Kurt knew he had to get going. "Go on into your homeroom. You have Mrs. Fielding. She's nice – she'll like you because you're cute." Blaine blushed and ducked his head. "Look, I gotta get in there," Kurt said as he nodded to the classroom behind him. "But I'll see you in third period, okay? I think we're watching _All the President's Men_ because it usually takes Mr. Williamson a couple days to detox after a school break, so I'll save you a seat next to me." Blaine nodded. "See you later!"

Blaine really wanted to hug Kurt goodbye, but he was anxious to do anything with so many unfamiliar kids around him. So, he gave Kurt as genuine a smile as he could muster and waved goodbye before walking into Room 208.

…

Third period couldn't come soon enough. Blaine didn't have any problems in his homeroom or first two classes, but everything just seemed kind of boring and a little too easy for his liking. When it came time for AP American History, he found the class with ease and slid quietly into the open seat Kurt reserved for him. They exchanged shy smiles, still getting used to the fact that they were in school together.

Kurt was right about the teacher showing a movie, so they scooted their desks together as close as they could. Some of the other glee club kids were in the classroom and saw Kurt and the new boy acting all cute together, so by time it was lunch, everyone was wondering what the story was with the two of them.

Blaine and Kurt were the last to arrive at the table and missed Mercedes filling everyone in on Kurt's updated relationship status. Since she didn't have a lot of information to go off of, she told Finn to tell them everything he knew about Blaine.

"Um, he's like really good at sports trivia?" Finn was trying really hard to remember other stuff he learned about Blaine during the cruise. "Oh, and he likes tropical fish and he has this scar on his back that looks like a – Hey guys!"

Kurt and Blaine set down their lunch trays and found all eyes staring up at Blaine, except for Finn's.

"Hey Finn," Kurt said slowly. "Hey everyone else…" Everyone's gaze remained on Blaine, who waved at them awkwardly. He wasn't used to this kind of attention and it was a little off-putting to have Kurt's friends gawking at him. "So, this is Blaine. You can stop staring at him now."

"Hi," Blaine said as he sat down and moved his chair as close to Kurt's as he could.

Kurt's cheeks flushed pink as Blaine's entire leg pressed up against his. He could tell Blaine was nervous because everyone was still looking at him so he tried to change the subject. "Blaine's going to be around for awhile so feel free to go about your regularly scheduled lunch period. Someone talk about something, please."

Though the group grumbled their discontent, they stopped staring at Blaine for fear that Kurt would cut them down with his icy glare. The topic soon shifted to junior prom and while that was a sore spot for both Kurt and Blaine, at least it got attention off of them for a little bit.

But only for a little bit.

"So, Kurt... Are you and Blaine going to go to junior prom together?"

Both Kurt and Blaine's eyebrows rose as they looked at each other in slight panic.

"Um, we haven't talked about it, but I don't think – I mean, probably not, but we didn't really, like… but it's not something that we, I mean…" Kurt knew he was rambling. He knew he wanted to go to the dance, but also knew that given Blaine's history and the fact that he just started at their school, like, a few hours ago, that he more than likely would not want to attend junior prom. They hadn't talked about it because Kurt didn't want to make him uncomfortable. But now there they were, both uncomfortable at the lunch table.

The glee kids fell into an awkward silence at the table. Everyone tried to play it off that nothing was wrong, but each person would sneak glances over at Kurt and Blaine. It was so weird to them that Kurt had a boyfriend and everyone wanted to know everything they could about Blaine, but it appeared that this new kid was not ready to let them in quite yet.

Kurt whispered to Blaine throughout the rest of lunch, explaining who all these other people at the table were and a brief back-story of the drama they added to the glee club. Blaine nodded while he ate his salad, trying to keep track of who dated whom, what grade people were in, and where they stood in the glee club hierarchy. Apparently Rachel, the brown haired girl with the hideous cat sweater, was the lead vocalist of the group and the tall Asian boy, Mike, couldn't sing very well, but he was the best dancer in the whole of the Midwest.

Though Blaine tried to pay attention to his boyfriend, his mind kept wandering back to the question of whether he and Kurt were going to junior prom. The thought of going to another public school dance terrified him, but maybe that was a way he could make it up to Kurt for lying about moving to Dayton.

The dance wasn't until Saturday, which meant Blaine had a couple days to mull it over if he needed to.

…

It shouldn't have been a huge surprise to the glee kids to see Kurt and Blaine walk through the choir room doors together before rehearsal was about to start. Of course the new kid sang.

The pair of them walked to the top row of chairs and sat down next to each other, immediately bowing their heads and talking quietly between themselves. Santana rolled her eyes at how happy they looked. She was about to make some snide remark when Mr. Schuester walked into the room and clapped his hands together, attempting to get everyone's attention.

"So, Miss Pillsbury told me we have a new student who wants to audition with us today." He glanced around the room and found no one was looking at him. "Does anyone know who Blaine Anderson is?"

"Oh, um, that's me."

Mr. Schuester saw a hand rise from the back row as a shorter boy wearing some bright red highwaters stood up. "Blaine?"

The boy nodded as he made his way down to the middle of the choir room floor. When he got to Mr. Schuester he held out a hand to introduce himself. "Yes, I'm Blaine. Blaine Anderson. I just transferred here from Dalton. I was the, uh, lead singer for the Warblers?"

The room got quiet for a moment before Finn said loudly, "Oh yeah, I knew that too." Kurt turned toward his stepbrother with a confused look on his face. Finn just shrugged and said, "What? They were asking me at lunch what I knew about Blaine and I said he was good at sports trivia, likes fish and has that sweet scar on his back, but I forgot to mention he was in the Warblers."

Kurt was horrified that Finn brought up the scar and immediately looked toward Blaine who was standing like a deer in the headlights in the middle of the floor while everyone else stared at him. Luckily, no one except for Kurt knew that Blaine's "sweet scar" was actually the result of a vicious hate crime, but he still felt terrible that Blaine was put on the spot like that. "Um, so since Blaine was already in a glee club, he shouldn't have to audition then, right?" Kurt was hoping Blaine's prior experience would allow him automatic entry into the New Directions and that his boyfriend could sit down and not be gawked at anymore.

"I want to hear the pretty pony sing," Santana said from her seat in the front row.

Rachel nodded her head in agreement. "Yes. I feel it would be unfair to let him into the group without a proper audition. Plus, I need to hear if his voice is compatible with mine."

The other glee kids started mumbling their agreements of wanting to hear Blaine sing. Mr. Schuester looked at Blaine and asked him if he had anything prepared. Blaine nodded and asked if he could have a minute to talk to the guys in the band to see if they could back him up. Though Blaine was used to singing a cappella, there was always a dozen or so voices to support him. He was nervous enough already and was hoping that the addition of some guitars and drums would help him get through what he was planning to sing.

Mr. Schuester sat down on a shelf at the side of the room and watched Blaine speak to the band guys. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but after a few moments, he saw Blaine talking animatedly with his hands, miming guitar chords and the band guys smiling and nodding in agreement. Apparently this new kid was a musician as well as a singer. Mr. Schuester filed that information in the back of his mind for future reference. He then scoped out the rest of the kids in the room. Everyone except for Kurt was whispering among each other in their little groups. Kurt, however, was slumped back in his chair, watching Blaine's every move. He didn't know how Kurt knew this Blaine Anderson kid, but at least the new boy seemed to already have a friend in Kurt. Mr. Schuester smiled to himself, glad that Kurt had another friend in the group. He knew Kurt got picked on by a majority of the rest of the student body, so it was nice to see that there was one more person on Kurt's side at the school.

Blaine finished up talking to the band kids and situated himself on the center of the floor. He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention and felt his heart race a bit when he actually got it.

"Um, this is a song I was working on with the Warblers. It wasn't any of our competition pieces or anything, just something we were arranging before spring break. I, uh, apologize in advance for the dancing. I kind of had my part memorized in time to the steps and I can't sing it right without moving around a little bit." Blaine's faced flushed crimson as he rambled, both eager to sing because it was something he loved to do, but terrified to perform in front of this seemingly hostile group.

Blaine flashed a quick look up toward Kurt (who offered him a small smile) before turning toward the band. The guitar player gave Blaine a quick nod, indicating he was ready whenever Blaine was. Blaine took a deep breath and nodded in return. It was Showtime.

The guitar player started strumming his instrument, and after two bars of solid eighth notes, Blaine started to sing:

_Before you met me I was alright_

_But things were kinda heavy_

_You brought me to life,_

_Now every February_

_You'll be my Valentine, Valentine_

Kurt's eyes widened as he watched Blaine two-step his way through the most interesting arrangement of "Teenage Dream" that he ever heard. Reminded of his dream from the cruise, Kurt blushed hard as Blaine directed the whole song at him, biting the inside of his cheek as Blaine sung about going all the way and skintight jeans. He giggled a bit as Blaine's cheeks got pinker and pinker while he sang, knowing Blaine was likely thinking the same thing as he was and finding the whole thing wholly ironic as they literally just had a conversation the other day about not being ready for any of those things. And yet, Kurt found Blaine's performance completely endearing and incredibly breathtaking. His voice, like his entire person, was gorgeous.

When Blaine finished the song, there was a moment of silence throughout the room while everyone picked their jaws up off the floor before showering Blaine with genuine applause.

Still clapping, Mr. Schuester got up from where he was sitting and walked toward Blaine. "That was great, Blaine. Welcome to the New Directions!"

Blaine beamed with pride, grateful for the official word that he was in the glee club and tickled at the positive reception he just received from the rest of the group from who he had been getting a mixed vibe. He smiled all the way back to his seat, gladly reciprocating the hug Kurt gave him after he sat down.

"You were amazing," Kurt whispered in his ear before giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

On cloud nine and still on a high from his adrenaline rush, Blaine forgot to stop and think twice before he asked Kurt, "Will you go to junior prom with me?"

…


	7. Monday Saturday

A/N: Whelp - this is it. The last chapter. Also probably the last fic I'll write for awhile (ever?). Thank you to those who have stuck with this story. Thank you to those who have stuck with me :) Reviews and comments are always welcome.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. (I definitely borrowed some phrases and plot points from 2.20 in this...) I also do not own the Smokey Robinson gem whose lyrics I borrowed in this chapter and for the title of this fic.

* * *

MONDAY (CON'T)

Kurt's mouth dropped open and Blaine's eyes widened in panic when he realized what question just slipped out of his mouth.

As much as Kurt wanted to go to the dance with Blaine, it appeared that Blaine didn't mean to say what he said. Kurt tried to play it off like it wasn't a big deal, even though it really was. "Oh, uh…"

Blaine knew he couldn't take back his words and that hurt him because it hurt Kurt. "Um. I – Can we talk about it later? Like, maybe don't answer right now?" His eyes plead for Kurt to understand and the younger boy did.

So, even though Kurt was feeling a cross between excited and disappointed, he nodded until Blaine finally seemed to believe that he was telling the truth and nodded back in return.

The rest of glee club rehearsal went on as per usual, though unfortunately for Kurt and Blaine, the main topic of discussion was the junior prom. Mr. Schuester revealed that The New Directions had been asked to provide the entertainment and each of the members was expected to perform a solo in addition to group numbers.

Blaine sank down in his seat, unable to share the joy of his new teammates. It seemed like not going to the dance was no longer an option, though he wagered that since he was a new student with a history of being the target of hate crimes, he was sure he could probably talk his way out of having to be at the dance. He snuck a peak over at Kurt and frowned because it was obvious that Kurt was feigning enthusiasm when people were calling out songs people should sing.

Though Kurt was feeling down as almost everyone else around him jabbered on about who would be singing what and how many numbers each person was required to perform, he knew Blaine was feeling infinitely worse.

When the bell rang signaling the end of the school day, Kurt turned to Blaine and asked if he wanted to come over to his house so they could talk. Not trusting himself to give a verbal answer, Blaine nodded in agreement. Kurt called over to his brother and asked if he wouldn't mind driving Kurt's SUV home while he rode with Blaine. Finn lit up at the thought of driving Kurt's car and Kurt tossed him the keys, warning him that if he as so much breathed on anything, he was going to lose an eyebrow in his sleep.

In the parking lot, Kurt internally flailed when he saw that Blaine had parked his car next to his. Though they walked side by side, Blaine's hands were shoved deep down in his pockets, as if he didn't want to run the risk of accidentally brushing his hands with Kurt's. Kurt thought quickly, knowing this his friends were aware that Blaine was gay since they were dating, but he wasn't sure if the whole of the school knew yet. Gossip traveled fast and having a new student was a novelty. Once they found out the new student was dating the resident outlier, Kurt worried that Blaine might soon suffer some of the bullying he faced on a near daily basis.

After one final warning to Finn not to destroy his SUV in any way on the short ride back to their house, Kurt slid wordlessly into Blaine's passenger seat. Blaine turned the key and the car roared to life. He gripped the steering wheel and pulled out of the parking space, turning toward Kurt to silently ask for directions.

"Make a right at the light and then drive until you see a boarded up Dairy Queen. It'll be the next street after that. Make a left onto Whitman Avenue. My house is on the right. You can probably just follow Finn."

Blaine nodded and turned his eyes back toward the road. The ride was silent, though sometimes Blaine would clear his throat a little bit as if to say something, but he would ultimately just keep quiet. He was more embarrassed than anything else and was nervous to talk to Kurt even though he knew Kurt was the only person he wanted to talk to about it.

Kurt wished Blaine would say something – anything – but he knew that likely wasn't going to happen until they got to his house. The younger boy closed his eyes for a minute and realized he hadn't gotten bullied that day at school. No locker shoves. No dumpster toss. No slushies. He hadn't even seen Karofsky and wondered if maybe, just maybe, he was gone for good. It was one thing to have to fear for his own safety during the school day, but now there was someone else to worry about. He sighed to himself, hoping Blaine couldn't hear his momentary act of desperation.

Both boys watched as Finn turned Kurt's SUV onto Whitman Avenue. Blaine turned on his blinker and followed behind, keeping a safe distance between his car and Kurt's.

Finn pulled into the driveway of a two-story home boasting the numbers "415" on a mailbox out front. A beat-up pickup truck was already occupying the space next to the SUV so Blaine parked his car near the curb and turned the key, cutting the engine. He slowly yanked on the emergency break, but didn't make a move to unbuckle his seat belt.

"Would you like to come inside," Kurt asked softly, "or would you rather we stay out here?" He didn't say it to be rude, he just wanted to make sure Blaine was somewhere where he felt most comfortable if they were going to talk about something that Kurt knew made him anything but.

It was the word "we" that made Blaine's heart hurt because what he asked Kurt didn't affect him, but _them_. Blaine realized that it wasn't just _him_ facing his past anymore – he wasn't alone.

Finding courage, Blaine turned toward Kurt and gave him a small smile. "Inside, if that's okay?"

Kurt nodded and they both undid their seatbelts and exited the car. Since no one else was outside in the neighborhood, Kurt reached out a hand for Blaine, hoping his boyfriend would take it. When fingers tangled together in a sure grasp, Kurt fought back a wide smile as they headed into the house.

Burt walked into the living room from the kitchen in time to see his son leading someone up the steps. "Hey!" It took a second, but he soon realized the other boy was Blaine. He was not dressed like he was on the cruise the week before and his hair was different, but that was definitely Blaine. Kurt must have done a number on him when they went shopping over the weekend.

Blaine froze in near-terror at the sound of Burt Hummel's voice. He almost dropped Kurt's hand, but Kurt just held on tighter as they ground to a halt mid-staircase.

"We're going upstairs to my room," Kurt said calmly. When his dad started to interject, Kurt quickly continued. "The door will be wide open. You can yell at me later, but right now Blaine and I really need to talk." He flashed his dad a look that Burt knew meant _I promise I'll tell you everything but you just need to trust me right now_ so he exhaled through his nose and nodded. Kurt flashed him a grateful half-smile and tugged on Blaine's hand, encouraging his boyfriend to keep following him up the steps. Blaine waved awkwardly at Burt.

Once the boys disappeared, Burt shook his head and went back to the kitchen to sit down at the table. Something was obviously wrong for Blaine to look that skittish. There were definitely a lot of questions that he wanted answers to – and soon – but he trusted his son enough to know that whatever it was could wait a little while longer while Kurt and Blaine talked about whatever they needed to talk about. Burt just made a mental note to accidentally walk past Kurt's room in a little while to make sure everything was okay and to see if there was any way that he could help.

…

Blaine's mind was racing a mile a minute about his impromptu junior prom proposal that it took him a few minutes to realize that not only was he in Kurt's house for the first time, but he was in Kurt's room and sitting on his bed. There wasn't anything remotely sexual about the situation, but it still made Blaine feel a little dizzy anytime he got such a blatant reminder that he was in a relationship with the beautiful and kindhearted boy that was sitting next to him and that Kurt only just came into his life a little over a week ago.

Their hands were still clasped as the boys sat on the bed. Kurt looked over at Blaine, wishing he would initiate the conversation that needed to happen. He was actually a little surprised when he heard Blaine sigh and start talking a few moments later.

"So, um… about what I asked… at school…" Blaine spoke slowly, stalling a bit to try and get the words right in his head before he spat them out. But when nothing came out for another minute, Kurt decided he should let his boyfriend off the hook.

"We don't have to go." Kurt's words came out softly but were laced with a sadness that he tried desperately not to let show. Even though he knew Blaine didn't mean to ask him, Kurt felt self-centered because he really did want to go.

Blaine's eyes slid shut as he scrubbed his free hand up his face and into his hair, breaking through the crust of gel still coating his curls. He felt so selfish that Kurt was so willing to give up something he knew Kurt wanted to do. He felt so embarrassed that he was still so terrified to go to a school dance. He wished he could just be a normal teenager and take his boyfriend to the junior prom without feeling like he wasn't going to have a panic attack just thinking about it. "Kurt."

The younger boy shook his head even though he knew Blaine wasn't looking at him. "No, Blaine. I know you regretted asking me to the dance as soon as the words came out of your mouth." Kurt was surprised how steady his voice was because on the inside, he was upset. He was partially sad at not going to the dance, but he was mostly wrecked over how scared Blaine was after he realized what he asked. As tortured as Kurt felt sometimes by the jocks, Blaine had been beaten until his body was broken all for going to a school function with another boy. Kurt thought about the "F" on Blaine's back and wondered if there were more scars – physical or otherwise – that he didn't know about. "We can have a date night instead. You know, go to the movies or stay in and watch something at home? I can cook us dinner."

Blaine's shoulders sagged as he slouched down against the headboard of Kurt's ridiculously comfortable bed. He forced himself to open his eyes and look at Kurt. He watched as Kurt stared at their joined hands that were resting on the bed in between them. Blaine began rubbing his thumb along Kurt's knuckles, causing the younger boy to startle for a second before he looked up and they locked eyes. Kurt gave Blaine an encouraging smile; silently telling him it was okay that they weren't going and that solidified it in Blaine's mind that they _were_ going to go.

"We're going."

Kurt shook his head. "No, we're not."

"Kurt, I know you want to," Blaine said with as much determination as he could.

"Blaine, no!"

Burt had just come up the stairs and could hear the boys arguing through the door Kurt correctly promised was open. It sounded like Blaine was trying to pressure Kurt into something, so Burt was ready to burst in to separate them when he finally heard what they were talking about.

"Kurt, I want to go to the dance with you!"

"No! You're just saying that because you think it's what I want, but I don't!"

"You do too! You told me on the boat!"

Burt stopped mere feet from his son's doorway. He was relieved that the boys weren't arguing about sex, but sad to find that they were discussing a school dance that Burt had no idea about in the first place. But apparently Blaine did, and apparently that was something his son mentioned to Blaine the week before – before they were even officially boyfriends. Burt felt a little bad for eavesdropping, but desperately wanted to know why the boys were fighting.

"Well, I changed my mind," Kurt huffed back.

Blaine scoffed. "Nuh uh. I know you want to go to the dance, Kurt."

"Fine!" Kurt spat out, but not in spite. "Yes, I want to go to the dance, but you don't!"

"I do want to go, Kurt! I want to take stupid prom pictures with you and slow dance with you and show everyone at that school that I am as proud to be with you as you say you are to be with me!" Blaine shouted. "I'm just really scared!" Blaine's eyes widened at his own vocalization of his fears.

The room went silent and Burt stilled, trying to keep himself from making any sort of noise so the boys wouldn't hear him outside Kurt's door. Burt heard some rustling of blankets and closed his eyes, telling himself there was no way his kid would do anything inappropriate with the door wide open like that.

Kurt had scooted as close to Blaine as he possibly could, just shy of climbing into his lap. Still holding Blaine's hand, he clasped his other hand around their woven fingers. When he spoke, his voice was soft and full of understanding. "I know the thought of going to a school dance terrifies you. And as much as I would love to go, I would rather just be with you."

Tears slipped down Blaine's cheeks as he leaned his head onto Kurt's shoulder.

When there was nothing but silence punctuated by soft sniffles, Burt quietly backed away from Kurt's door and returned downstairs.

…

Kurt and Blaine stayed where they were for a while until Blaine's breathing steadied and his tears dried up. He knew he should probably get home soon as his parents would likely want to hear about his first day at his new school.

They climbed off of Kurt's bed and straightened out their clothes. Kurt put his hands up to Blaine's bowtie and adjusted it so it fell perfectly in line. Blaine smiled at the gesture and leaned in to give Kurt a soft kiss on the cheek, causing Kurt to bite his lip because he was so entirely smitten by his boyfriend.

The two walked hand in hand down the steps as Kurt was planning on walking Blaine to his car. They stopped short just as Blaine was about to turn the doorknob when they heard Burt clear his throat behind them. The boys turned around and saw the home's patriarch standing there with his arms crossed. He nodded his head toward the living room and then started walking toward his recliner. The boyfriends looked at each other with wide eyes, but then followed Burt. They sat next to each other on the couch, fingers gripped tightly between them.

Burt shifted his gaze between the two boys, not quite sure who to address first. Since Blaine looked more uncomfortable, he figured he would put that kid out his misery. "It's good to see you again, Blaine. Your family settling in okay?" It took a couple seconds for Burt's words to register, but Blaine eventually nodded. "Good." He then shifted around in his chair, wishing he didn't have to say what he was about to say, but knowing he had to. "Look, I don't mind you two hanging out here, but there's some rules you're gonna have to stick to."

"Daaaad," Kurt groaned.

Burt shot his son a look before he kept talking. "One – the bedroom door stays open at all times." Kurt rolled his eyes while Blaine just nodded quickly. "Two – I don't mind if you two are over here when no one is home, but you better tell either me or Carole that you're here. Leave a message. Text us. Something. No sneaking around. Got it?" Kurt clenched his teeth and Blaine's cheeks began to tint. "And most importantly, if anything, and I mean _anything_ happens to either of you at school – I'm talking bullying, harassment, name calling, whatever – you tell someone."

Blaine's head turned from Burt to Kurt and then back to Burt. "Sir, I – we…"

Shaking his head, Burt silently cut off Blaine. "Look, kid, I heard the two of you upstairs and I know things are probably a lot worse than what I've been told." His last few words were directed at Kurt before he shifted his attention back to Blaine. "Your dad told me about what happened to you at your old school. After that dance?" Blaine's eyes widened, as this was new information to him. "And I'm sorry, Blaine. I am so sorry that happened to you. And you, Kurt," Burt shifted in his chair to face his son. "I have a feeling you've been keeping stuff from me about what goes on at McKinley. I got Finn telling me that kids have been throwing you against the lockers. But there's more, isn't there?"

Blaine turned his attention back toward Kurt. From their discussion on their second night on the cruise, he knew there was more and that was part of the reason why Blaine was so scared about going to a dance at McKinley. Kurt felt Blaine's eyes on him and he turned to see his boyfriend nodding slightly, silently encouraging him to tell his dad the truth.

With a reserved sigh, Kurt swallowed and forced himself to look his dad in the eye. "Yes. There's more. But it was in the fall, and I didn't want to worry you since you were just starting to recover after your…." Kurt's voice was small, not able to even say the words as he tried not to relive that horrifically darker time. "One of the football players… _threatened_ me." Even though Kurt was still upset about Karofsky forcing himself on him, it wasn't in his place to out anyone.

Burt leaned forward, staring down his son. "Threatened you _how_?"

Blaine felt his boyfriend's hold on his hand get tighter.

"He said," Kurt started in a soft, but unsteady voice. "He said he would kill me." For a moment, Blaine thought that Burt Hummel was turning into a demon with the way the man's eyes flashed with such anger and hatred. Kurt immediately held a hand out and placed it on his dad's arm, trying to calm him. "Dad, stop, you're heart!"

"Screw my heart," Burt growled. "I'm gonna rip that kid apart. You gotta tell me who it was, Kurt."

Kurt shook his head, "It doesn't matter, Dad! Just stop, please!"

Blaine chimed in; hoping what he had to say would help Burt calm down. "Sir, my dad said he was going to go to the school board to see about the bullying problems at McKinley. He thought maybe you wanted to go with him." The Hummel men froze and both turned toward Blaine who forced himself not to shrink back at the rapt attention. "It's just that Kurt told me about… about what happened and _I_ got scared" Blaine looked at Kurt apologetically before he continued talking. "That's why I didn't tell you I was going to McKinley right away – because I didn't want to end up in the hospital again. I didn't want to be apart from you, though, so I stuck with the transfer. But then all this dance stuff was a lot to handle. I mean, I thought today went really well, but I figured that was because only your friends know about us. Once the whole school finds out… then I might get attacked." Blaine shook his head, embarrassed about his fears.

"Do you not want to be out?" Kurt asked quietly. "Like, at school?"

Not wanting to interrupt this seemingly private conversation the boys were having in front of him, Burt quietly sat back in his chair. He was still seething from all the new information he was still processing, but he thought better than to say something while Blaine and Kurt were working out a situation that he could never fully understand.

"No, no, no, no," Blaine said quickly as he situated himself on the couch so he was completely facing his boyfriend. "I don't want to hide us or what we have. I mean, I don't think we should make out in the middle of class or anything, but I want to hold your hand as we walk down the hall. I'm going to dance with you at our prom this weekend. I just wish I didn't feel like I have to be on the lookout for bats or knives."

Kurt's eyes immediately found the scar on Blaine's forehead and his heart hurt by how brave his boyfriend was. He wanted to lean forward and place a gentle kiss over the raised line, but thought better of it because he knew his dad was watching. Instead, Kurt gave Blaine a sad smile before looking over at his dad.

"Tell your dad to give me a call later, Blaine. Hopefully we can get a meeting with the school board this week. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you kids are safe at that dance, okay?"

Blaine nodded, his insides churning because of the excitement of going to prom with Kurt and the shear terror in anticipation of a repeat of the aftermath of the Sadie Hawkins dance. He looked at Kurt and wordless communicated that he needed to get going for real this time. Kurt nodded and the two of them got up from the couch. Burt gave them a few steps head start before he rose from his chair.

The boyfriends wrapped each other in a close hug in front of the door. Blaine sighed into the embrace, feeling so safe in Kurt's arms. When they parted, Blaine was a little surprised to see Burt watching them.

Before Blaine could say anything, Burt fished his wallet out of his back pocket and pulled out two business cards, handing them to Blaine. The Hummel Tires & Lube logo stared back at Blaine as he held the cards. "Give one of those to your dad so we can talk about that meeting with the board. You keep the other one, though, okay?" Blaine looked up and saw Burt looking at him. The kind look in Mr. Hummel's eyes let Blaine know that it was implied he could call Burt if ever there was a need. Kurt watched the exchange between two of the people he most cared about and felt like the luckiest person in the world.

Blaine nodded, grateful for the support of his boyfriend's father. He held out a hand for Burt to shake. "Thank you, sir."

With a chuckle, Burt shook his head as he took Blaine's hand. "I told ya kid, you can call me Burt."

A shy smile broke out across Blaine's face as he nodded. "Yes, sir. I mean, Burt." Kurt chuckled at his boyfriend's expense because it was becoming a constant source of amusement when Blaine got embarrassed around his dad.

Since Burt was still standing there, Kurt and Blaine didn't get a chance to kiss goodbye. Instead they shared a longing look and smiled when they remembered they would see each other the next morning at school.

Once Blaine left the house, Kurt snaked an arm around his dad's waist and gave him a sideways hug.

"Looks like you're going to prom, kid."

Kurt beamed.

…

During dinner, Blaine kept conversation about school fairly light. He told his parents about his classes and how his glee club audition went. Vanessa was glad to see the return of the bowtie, though she scrunched her nose at the amount of product her son had slathered over his hair. Perhaps she needed to hide his gel again. But, it was nice to hear he had a good first day and she hoped things continued to go that smoothly. However, what she didn't realize was that Blaine purposefully did not mention the he school dance because he wanted to talk about that with his dad later when he gave him Burt's business card.

After dessert, Vanessa stepped out for a walk around the block when Ethan offered to do the dishes. Blaine figured this would be a good time as any to talk with his dad. Ethan noticed his son wandering around the kitchen, still getting used to the layout of their new home. He smiled when Blaine eventually jumped up onto the counter like when he was a little boy, kicking his legs a little since they were nowhere near long enough to reach the floor.

Ethan scrubbed the dishes in silence with only the sound of Blaine's feet hitting the cupboards interrupting every now and again. He knew Blaine probably wanted to talk about something but was used to waiting his youngest son out.

When Ethan was down to the last of the silverware, Blaine finally spoke up. "Um, Dad?"

"Yeah bud?"

Blaine's feet continued to drum out an erratic rhythm against the wood. "I know I didn't ask, but I went to Kurt's house for a little after school today." Ethan knew there was more to the story than that so he kept quiet. "And, uh, I kind of accidentally asked him to the junior prom." The oldest Anderson's eyebrows rose, but he kept his focus on the sudsy water below so as not to break Blaine's sharing. "But we got into a fight because he said I just was asking him to go because he wants to go, but that I don't want to go. But I _do_ want to go, I just… _Fuck_." Blaine apologized quickly. "I'm sorry. It's just that I really want to take him to the dance because he's my boyfriend, but I keep thinking that when we go, we're going to get hurt."

Nodding, Ethan looked up to find his son shaking his head at himself. "Are you guys still fighting?"

"What?" Blaine asked as his attention focused on his dad's face. "Oh, no. We're not. But you know how you mentioned going to talk to the school board about the bullying problem at McKinley?" Ethan nodded. "Well, I told Kurt's dad about it and he'd really like to go with you. He gave me, um," Blaine reached into his pocket and pulled out Burt's business card. "He gave me this to give to you." Blaine set the card on the counter near the sink, as his dad's hands were still submerged in the water. "He said you could call him later and hoped that the two of you could figure out a time to meet with the school board."

Ethan looked from the card back up to his son's waiting eyes. "Is this something _you_ want me to do?" He would do anything to protect his son, but Blaine would always get a say before Ethan took action.

Blaine nodded. "I'm taking Kurt to the prom this weekend." His voice wasn't as confident as he hoped, but he was going to do this for Kurt.

"All right. Well, I'll call Burt when I'm finished with these," Ethan said as he motioned his head toward the remaining dishes in the sink. "And you'll need to talk to your mother when she gets home." Blaine gave him a questioning look. "I don't know shit about boutonnières."

...

SATURDAY

Kurt woke up the morning of junior prom with a huge smile on his face. He couldn't believe that he was actually going to be going to a school dance with a date – and not just a date, with his boyfriend.

It had been a trying week for everyone, but Kurt was confidant that all the obstacles they faced were only going to make the night that much better.

He watched Blaine take his first slushie to the face on Tuesday. It sounds terrible, but he was grateful that it happened after glee rehearsal and not during the school day. Kurt felt bad for not warning Blaine to have a spare change of clothes in his locker for such an occasion, but his boyfriend took it in stride.

They were walking back to Blaine's locker because he forgot the book he was supposed to read that night for an English assignment. Since no one else was in the hallway, Kurt and Blaine's hands were linked and they were chatting happily, Blaine telling Kurt how excited his mom was that they were going to prom. They didn't even hear the football jocks sneak up behind them until it was too late.

"Hey lady boys," Karofsky said smugly. "I miss one day of school after break and the queer population multiplied.

Kurt rolled his eyes as he held tight to Blaine's hand while turning to look at his bully. He saw a red slushie in Karofsky's hand and sighed. "Leave us alone, David."

Karofsky and his teammates laughed at Kurt's request. The jocks stood their ground as Karofsky raked his eyes over Blaine, sizing up the new kid. "So, is this your little boyfriend, Hummel? He looks thirsty."

Before Kurt could block Blaine, Karofsky threw the contents of the slushie cup all over the smaller boy's face and shirtfront.

Blaine was pretty sure he had just gotten smacked in the face with an iceberg. The red dye stung his eyes and chunks of slushie dripped down his face and down his neck, causing him to shiver while they seeped through his collar and cardigan.

Blindly, Blaine was dragged by Kurt into the nearest bathroom. Kurt told him to hold still for a second and Blaine heard the clicks of Kurt's camera phone. After being promised repeatedly that the pictures were for evidence purposes only and would not end up on Instagram or Facebook, Kurt handed Blaine some paper towels to start cleaning himself off. Once he wiped the slushie from his face and could open his eyes, Blaine realized they were in the girl's bathroom. Kurt could only shrug and offer a look of empathy.

With shaking fingers, cold from the icy beverage, Blaine managed to unbutton his sweater and shrug it off his shoulders. He handed the garment to Kurt who had by then gotten the sink to the proper temperature. With a travel-sized stain remover, Kurt got to work getting the dye out of Blaine's top before it set. In a small voice, Kurt mentioned to Blaine that he should probably take his polo shirt off too if he didn't want that to stain either.

Sighing through his nose, Blaine untucked his shirt and yanked it over his head before handing it to his boyfriend. Even though it would have been so easy to stare, Kurt kept his eyes locked on Blaine's as he took the shirt. Blaine crossed his arms over his exposed chest and paced the bathroom, wondering aloud if that would still happen after their dads' talked to the school board the following day.

On Wednesday morning, Burt Hummel and Ethan Anderson marched into their meeting with the school board ready to kick ass and take names.

Though they had decided that Ethan would do most of the talking since he could throw legal terms in the board members' faces if need be, Burt almost lost his cool when they were asked what kind of bullying was going on at McKinley.

Burt's voice got louder and louder as he described how his kid would get shoved against lockers and thrown in dumpsters. When a school board member suggested that maybe Kurt tone back his wardrobe or not act so gay at school, Burt started pointing fingers, telling the board members that his kid shouldn't have to change who he is because some other kid isn't comfortable with him being queer as a three-dollar bill.

Ethan put a hand on Burt's back and Burt stepped aside, letting him approach the board members with photographs showing how their kids get bullied at school. He pulled up a picture on his phone of his son from the day before, covered with slushie on his second day at McKinley. When that didn't seem to faze anyone in the room, Ethan went to his briefcase and took out a folder of 8x10s from when Blaine was hospitalized at his old public school.

A hush fell over the room as the board members were forced to look at close ups of Blaine's broken and bruised body. Pictures of him lying in traction were interspersed with photos of the stitches on the cut on his hairline and the jagged F that will forever be carved into his back. Burt felt sick to his stomach. It was one thing to hear Ethan tell him about Blaine's injuries, but another to see the fresh proof. How anyone could hurt these boys was beyond him. Looking around the room, Burt could tell some of the board members were horrified, but others were less sympathetic. It dawned on him that some of these people were homophobic and likely thought Blaine and Kurt deserved the treatment they got.

Burt was afraid that the school board wasn't going to do anything about the bullying at McKinley because Blaine's injuries happened to him in a different school district. Ethan seemed to be on the same page and mentioned that these pictures could have been from any kid at any school.

One of the nonplused school board members rolled her eyes and asked what they could possibly do. Bullying was a part of growing up and even if they tried to put an end to it, bullies were still going to find a way to pick on other kids. Burt countered with the fact that his kid shouldn't be receiving death threats at school.

That got the board's attention. A child's death due to the inaction of the school board, faculty or staff would destroy the community. Burt and Ethan were asked to leave the room while the board debated on what should be done about the bullying at McKinley. When the fathers were called back, they were pleased to find the board had voted in favor of a mandatory anti-bully campaign. Though it was a far cry from the zero-tolerance harassment policy in place at Dalton, Ethan thought the proposed plan had promise and that his son and boyfriend could potentially feel safe at their own school.

Even though there was an announcement about the consequences of bullying during a morning assembly, Blaine and Kurt both got slushied on Thursday after lunch. They had just bought their tickets to junior prom and were walking back to Kurt's locker to switch out his books for his afternoon classes. As Kurt was shutting his locker, both he and Blaine were doused with purple beverages.

"That's for thinking you can spread your fairy dust at our prom."

Kurt opened his locked to grab the towel and bag of clothes he kept in there for just such an occasion when he heard the principal yell in their general direction.

"Azimio and other football jocks, get in my office immediately! Gay students Hummel and Anderson, please accept my apologies on behalf of the public schools of Lima. This will not happen again."

Blaine and Kurt stood shivering in the hallway, knowing their peers were watching them. Though no one came to their assistance, they weren't called any additional names. Hand in hand, they walked into the nearest bathroom and then peeled off their shirts, grateful the slushies only hit their backs and that their pants, socks and shoes were spared. They laughed when Kurt commented that he's seen Blaine with less clothes on at school since they started going out.

Side by side, they leaned over the sink and scrubbed their shirts, able to get most of the purple dye out. Blaine realized he didn't have his extra shirt on him, but Kurt said there should be something in his bag that would probably fit Blaine. It was a lot odd to be standing shirtless with his boyfriend in the bathroom, but Kurt didn't feel as self-conscious as he would have thought. It helped that Blaine made flirty remarks about his lightly freckled skin from the cruise and told Kurt that he was the most handsome person he had ever seen in his entire life. Kurt smiled shyly and told Blaine that he was beautiful, feeling empowered by their mutual attraction and affection for each other.

Blaine then sat on the floor trying to locate the shirt that Kurt was talking about that might fit him. Kurt looked down at his boyfriend and saw the "F" stretch in the hideous fluorescent light as Blaine's shoulder and back muscles flexed while he dug around in the clothes bag. Though the scar was an ugly reminder of one of the worst moments in Blaine's life, it didn't stop him from moving forward.

When Blaine caught Kurt staring at him, he flashed his boyfriend a questioning look. Kurt just shook his head and said he was so proud of Blaine and couldn't wait to be seen with him at the dance on Saturday. Blaine blushed hard and pulled out a red checked shirt, asking if that was the one Kurt thought might fit him. Kurt nodded, knowing it was going to be a little too wide for Blaine's slim torso, but he secretly couldn't wait to see Blaine wearing his clothes.

On Friday, Blaine went over to Kurt's house again after school as Kurt had put the finishing touches on his prom outfit and wanted to make sure Blaine was okay with it in case any last minute alterations needed to be made.

Blaine was sitting in the living room with Finn and Burt listening to Burt tell stories about his own prom when Kurt waltzed into the room wearing an expertly tailored suit jacket, a kilt and knee-high boots. Both Blaine and Burt's eyebrows slid up, but Finn grinned and toasted his milk glass at his stepbrother, claiming he looked like "Gay _Braveheart_." Finn's support was most welcome, Kurt was really only looking for the stamp of approval from his boyfriend.

Though Kurt looked beyond amazing in his prom outfit, Blaine's heart began to race (but not in a good way). Yes, his boyfriend was basically asking him how his ass looked (fantastic), but Blaine couldn't help but worry that Kurt wearing a kilt to honor the late Alexander McQueen would be misconstrued as Kurt wearing a skirt to flaunt his assets in front of the school's bullies, practically daring them to make fun of him or beat him up at the dance.

It turned out that Blaine didn't have to voice his opinion because Burt did it for him. He told his son that he wanted him to be himself, but to not purposefully stir the pot. But, when Blaine saw that Kurt genuinely did not think about the repercussions of wearing a kilt and only saw the designer-obsessed look in his eyes, Blaine knew that Kurt didn't make that outfit for the sole purpose of rubbing his gayness in everyone's face; he was honestly just trying to pay homage to his favorite designer.

Upset at his dad's reaction and boyfriend's lack of reaction, Kurt ran out of the room and upstairs. When Burt went to follow his son, Blaine put a hand on Burt's arm and asked Burt if he could go instead. With a sigh, Burt nodded and let Blaine go.

Blaine knocked softly on Kurt's door and asked if he could come in. When Kurt mumbled yes, Blaine entered the room and made sure to leave the door open, but only a few inches. He knew that was probably enough in Burt's eyes, but Blaine wanted to give his boyfriend a sense of privacy while they talked.

Kurt's suit jacket was already back on its hanger, so he was sitting on his bed decked out in a tight white undershirt and his kilt. He was bent over, trying to yank his boots off, though Blaine could tell they needed to be unlaced all the way before they were going to go anywhere. He crossed over to where Kurt was seated and knelt on the floor, asking if he could help. Kurt gave up his losing battles with his boots and threw his hands up, giving Blaine permission to loosen the knot that had formed.

Slowly, Blaine untangled the laces, taking great care to not make the knot worse than it already was. He spoke softly, telling his boyfriend that he couldn't believe how amazing he looked in his prom outfit and that he could tell Kurt obviously spent a lot of time and care on it. When Kurt grumbled that it was all a waste, Blaine paused what he was doing and looked up at his boyfriend through thick lashes. The older boy gently demanded Kurt look at him and though it took a few seconds, he eventually did. Blaine asked Kurt to trust him when he said that his outfit was gorgeous and that if that was what he wanted to wear to prom the next night, then that's exactly what he should wear.

It wasn't an easy sell, though. Kurt admitted that his dad had a point and that it probably wasn't the best idea to draw so much attention to themselves when Blaine was already uncomfortable going to begin with. Blaine shook his head, saying that with Kurt by his side and the newly established anti-bullying rules that were supposedly being strictly enforced, he wasn't nearly as scared as he once was. The truth was, though, Blaine was still terrified. But, he and his parents had been reassured by school officials and approached by members of the school board the past couple days who swore that he and Kurt would be safe at the dance and he really wanted to believe that was the case.

Blaine finally got the knot out of Kurt's lace and was able to remove Kurt's boots. Feeling bold, Blaine ran a hand up Kurt's leg though he stopped at his knee. Both boys blushed something fierce, but Kurt started to giggle. Blaine questioned his boyfriend's laughter and Kurt revealed that he was so scared of flashing people that he had three layers on underneath his kilt so if Blaine thought he was going to get a show, he was sorely mistaken. At that, Blaine scrambled up onto the bed next to Kurt and stared into his boyfriend's eyes. They whispered hellos to each other before leaning in and capturing each other's lips in a tender kiss. Blaine's arms wrapped around Kurt's back and his hands splayed out against the tight white shirt, feeling Kurt's muscles contract under his touch. Kurt's hands found Blaine's cheek and neck, fingers working into the curls behind Blaine's ears that had snuck out of their gelled confinement.

A shout from Carole downstairs saying that dinner was ready forced the boys to part. Blaine knew he had to get home, but they smiled knowing they would see each other the following night. Blaine hoped the dance turned out to be everything Kurt ever wanted.

On Saturday morning, Kurt rolled around in his bed, excited to see Blaine in a tux for the first time and anxious to see the looks on his friends faces when he and his boyfriend were ultimately the best dressed couple at the dance.

The morning and early afternoon were a blur of last minute preparation. Kurt fielded calls from the girls in the glee club, offering advice on what jewelry to wear and how to fix up-dos that weren't keeping their hold.

Blaine's day was more low-key, though his frantically beating heart would have argued otherwise. To try and keep his nerves down, Ethan had taken his son to the park to throw around a football for a while; giving him a chance to let out some of the pent-up energy he had about that night. After running a handful of passes they planned to unleash on Cooper and Ethan's brother during that Thanksgiving's annual Anderson Family Football Tournament, Ethan treated Blaine to pizza at a local pizza place Burt told him about earlier in the week.

The Anderson men munched on their slices in comfortable silence. Ethan could tell that Blaine was trying his best to keep himself calm. He wished there was some sort of advice he could pass along to his son, but he honestly had no idea what Blaine was going through. Sure, Ethan was scared for his own son, but he had never been through the physical assault that Blaine had and really had no idea how much emotional scarring that Sadie Hawkins Dance had on him. The best Ethan could do was tell his son that he was proud of him and that if he needed anything, to let him know and he would be there in a heartbeat. Blaine smiled and thanked his dad for the offer, knowing full well that if he asked his dad to wait in the parking lot the whole time, he would. But Blaine wanted to do this alone for himself and for Kurt. There were going to be chaperones there and if anything got out of hand, Blaine and Kurt already made a pact to leave on the spot.

Kurt was coming over to Blaine's house for pictures around 6:00 so they could head over to the dance together for 7:00. They opted not to go out to dinner with the rest of the glee kids beforehand because Kurt didn't want to deal with their drama. It was his and Blaine's night and he refused to let anyone else ruin what he hoped was going to be a perfect time with his boyfriend.

It took Kurt a couple hours to get ready that afternoon. He showered, did his skincare routine and then spent probably an hour on his hair. He wasn't happy until it was styled just right, but once he finally got it the way he wanted it, he used enough hairspray to tear another hole in the ozone layer. He took great care putting on his kilt, though only wore two layers underneath because it was hard to move around with three. When tying up his boots, he made sure to keep the laces from tangling and managed to get them laced all the way up to the top at the perfect tightness. Spinning around several times in front of his full-length mirror, Kurt was beyond pleased with his outfit. Blaine's mom insisted on making their boutonnières and he had a feeling they would be beautiful, but part of him worried that they would clash or throw off the balance of his outfit.

When Burt shouted up the stairs that it was time for them to get going or they'd be late, Kurt looked at his reflection and gave himself a quick pep talk. He was going to prom. He was going to prom with his boyfriend. No matter what, he was with Blaine and that's all that mattered.

Blaine didn't start getting ready until 5:30, but he somehow was still ready with a few minutes to spare before Kurt got there. He jumped in the shower and washed the sweat off him from football. Taking an extra minute while he shaved, Blaine was pleased when he managed not to nick himself on the neck like he usually did. He combed some gel through his hair, making sure not to use too much because Kurt had hinted multiple times that he hoped Blaine would leave his hair curly for the dance. After he was done in the bathroom, Blaine threw on his tux that still fit him like a glove because he hadn't had a growth spurt since the last time he wore it. The shoulders and chest were a tad more snug that usual, but Blaine grinned at himself in the mirror, hoping the tight fit would please his boyfriend.

Once his shoes were tied, Blaine slid his wallet in his pocket before bounding down the stairs. He almost crashed into his mom who was standing in the foyer waiting for him. Upon seeing her baby boy looking so handsome and grown up in his prom outfit, Vanessa smiled and tears came to her eyes. She straightened his skinny black tie and gushed over how he looked like he should be stepping onto a red carpet or something. Blaine beamed, feeling good that he looked good – hoping he looked good enough to be standing next to his fashion icon of a boyfriend.

The doorbell rang and Blaine yanked open the door to find perfection personified standing in front of him. They exchanged wide smiles and gawked at the other; each in utter disbelief that this was happening and that he was dating the hottest guy at school.

Vanessa said hello to Burt over their sons' shoulders and called out to Ethan that they would be in the garden and if he could grab the box that was in the fridge.

As they walked down the front steps to the yard where Vanessa was instructing them to stand for their pictures, Kurt slid a hand into Blaine's. They squeezed at each other's fingers, each whispering to the other that he looked incredible and breathtaking.

Ethan joined them soon thereafter handing his wife the box she had asked for. As she opened the box and Kurt saw the gorgeous boutonnières she made, she told them she hoped these were okay. Blaine just smiled, not really caring what his mom was pinning onto his lapel, but Kurt showered Vanessa with praise, telling her that they were perfect and thanking her repeatedly for making these beautiful boutonnières for them.

Once their flowers were in place, Vanessa, Ethan and Burt stood part way across the lawn so they could take pictures of their boys. Kurt laughed when his father tried to figure out the camera on his phone while Vanessa had a professional Canon in her hands. She began clicking away, telling Burt that she would gladly burn a CD and DVD of all the pictures for him and Carole. Ethan stood back, watching his wife at work. He knew better than to chime in with anything, as she was definitely the creative and artistic one between the two of them. It made him overjoyed seeing his wife snapping away while his son smiled wider than he had in years.

Burt gave up trying to take pictures once Vanessa started directing the boys to pose certain ways or look at each other with different feelings. He pocketed his phone and made his way over to Ethan.

"Our kids look good together," Burt said quietly.

"Yep," Ethan agreed before he sighed. "Thank you for raising Kurt the way you did. Your son is a godsend. I was beginning to think we'd never see Blaine this happy ever again."

Burt shook his head. "I can't take all the credit. His mother was a saint." He laughed as Vanessa instructed the boys to make silly faces at each other. "She would have loved Blaine, you know. You got a great kid there."

The fathers were interrupted when Vanessa waved them over to get pictures with their sons. Each man was proud to be surrounded by the others, grateful to be among people he admired.

…

The parents waved goodbye as their sons drove off in Blaine's Audi. Each boy had received multiple warnings of not drinking, being aware of his surroundings, and to call if he needed anything but make sure to have fun. Blaine and Kurt assured their parent(s) that responsible fun would be had and that they would be back to the house by 11:30. Burt was staying over at the Andersons' house for dinner and Carole would meet him there after she was done with her shift at the hospital. They were going to drive Kurt home once the boys got back to Blaine's house.

Kurt and Blaine were grateful for their parent(s) concerns, but were glad to be in the car driving toward the school so they could be alone for a few minutes.

The drive was silent except for the music playing softly from the car's radio. Kurt was smiling to himself, excited and still in some disbelief that they were actually going to the dance. He rocked side to side in his seat; needing to move or else he would explode. The rocking stopped, however, when Blaine pulled off the road and into the parking lot of a Dress Barn. Kurt immediately jumped to the conclusion that Blaine was backing out of the dance. Though he thought there was a fraction of a chance this might happen, it didn't hurt any less.

Before Kurt could ask Blaine what was wrong, Blaine shut off the car and turned toward Kurt. "I know what you're thinking, but I promise you I will start the car back up in a minute and drive us to the dance." Kurt, though confused, nodded because he believed Blaine to be telling the truth. "I just wanted to tell you without anyone else around that you are amazing, Kurt. And it's not just the outfit – which, God, Kurt, that outfit is stunning – but you. _You_ are amazing, Kurt. You amaze me. And I am still scared out of my mind about tonight, but at the same time I feel so safe because I'm with you. And I just needed to tell you that."

Kurt's mouth had dropped open around the time when Blaine said that he was amazing and he hadn't been able to shut it because the words that kept falling from his boyfriend's lips were among the nicest things anybody had ever said to him.

Blaine went to turn the car back on, but Kurt reached over and stopped his hand. The older boy looked down at Kurt's hand on his and then over toward his boyfriend, finding a sparkle in his eyes. "No, Blaine," Kurt said softly. "You don't get to say all those things and then start the car before I have a chance to say something." Kurt unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned across the console. His eyes closed a moment before his mouth found Blaine's. Kurt felt Blaine sigh into the kiss, a small sound of pure joy sounding from the back of his throat. After gently pulling at Blaine's bottom lip, Kurt pulled away and sat back down in his seat. He clicked his seatbelt back into place and watched Blaine recover from their kiss. His cheeks were flushed and his bottom lip was slightly swollen. "You're amazing too," Kurt said with a sly look in his eyes. "You may start your engine, Mr. Anderson." Blaine gulped as he nodded, fumbling to turn his key.

…

They arrived at the dance shortly after it started. After handing over their tickets at the door, Kurt and Blaine walked through the gymnasium doors to find themselves surrounded by sparkling crepe paper and hundreds of mylar balloons. Hand in hand, they made their way toward the stage, knowing they had to check in with Mr. Schuester since they still had to perform throughout the night.

Kurt wasn't surprised when Blaine didn't want to dance much even though that was something that he kept promising throughout the week. Blaine would gladly join in when they were dancing as a group with their friends, but shied away when it came to slow dances. They had gotten a number of glares from their peers when they walked in holding hands and Kurt knew Blaine was afraid that someone would say something or start something if the two of them danced together. Though it was disappointing to be at a dance and not able to dance with just his boyfriend, Kurt understood Blaine's reticence and respected it. He was thankful to be at the dance with his boyfriend to begin with, he wasn't going to ruin their night.

Kurt and Blaine's solos went well and their group numbers were fun. Blaine really enjoyed singing "No Scrubs" and "What Makes You Beautiful" with a handful of the other glee guys and found it really encouraging when the girls in the crowd were screaming for them as if they were an actual boyband.

Halfway through the dance, Principal Figgins got up on stage to announce the winner of Junior Prom King and Queen. Since Kurt and Blaine were not in the running, they found a spot near the back of the crowd where they could have some privacy while still being able to see their friends who had been nominated.

As Principal Figgins read the names of the guys who were up for King, Blaine nuzzled his nose into Kurt's neck and whispered that he was so happy to be by Kurt's side and that Kurt should have been up there. Kurt giggled at his boyfriend's sappiness but then groaned when it was announced that David Karofsky was their Junior Prom King. Kurt refused to clap as his bully made his way on stage to accept his crown.

Once the crowd settled down, Principal Figgins listed off the girls who were competing for Junior Prom Queen. Kurt paid a little more attention as some of the girls in the glee club were up there and he wanted to see if one of them won. However, Principal Figgins announced there was a write-in candidate and the winner of Junior Prom Queen was Kurt Hummel.

Blaine felt Kurt still in his arms and prayed that he misheard what the principal said. But, when a spotlight landed on Kurt's face and everyone in the room turned around to look at Kurt, Blaine knew it was real. Before he could say anything, Kurt tore himself from Blaine's grasp and ran out the door. Blaine followed, steps behind, yelling out his boyfriend's name.

"Kurt, wait!" Blaine called out as he chased the younger boy down a deserted hallway.

Kurt finally stopped in front of some lockers before turning around and lashing out at Blaine. "Don't you get it? They might not be able to hit me or throw me into a dumpster anymore, but they can still tear me down by secret ballot! I'm still just some stupid joke to them." He was so upset he didn't even bother trying to stop the tears that were streaming down his face. "Anti-bullying policy, my ass. I'm sorry you had to come here, Blaine."

Blaine reached out a hand to Kurt's shoulder, hoping bis boyfriend wouldn't shy away from him. When Kurt didn't flinch, Blaine closed his arms around Kurt in a protective hug. "Kurt," Blaine whispered softly. "Shh, hey," he murmured as he rubbed circles on his boyfriend's back, hoping to ease his sobs. "Our classmates are assholes, yes. But don't you apologize for me being stuck at this stupid school because I get to be here with you." Blaine planted a kiss to Kurt's temple. "And your life is far from a joke. You are going to go on and be the best…" Blaine realized he had no idea what Kurt wanted to be when he grew up, but luckily Kurt supplied the answer for him.

"Fashion designer and Broadway star," Kurt mumbled through hiccups and tears.

"The best fashion designer and Broadway star," Blaine repeated as he kept rubbing Kurt's back, "that this world has ever known. And those idiots who voted for you are still going to be walking around Lima, Ohio wearing ill fitting pants and… ugly shoes." Kurt practically snorted with laughter into Blaine's shoulder, which made Blaine smile that he said something that helped even just a little bit. "Kurt, you are the one of the strongest people I know. Please don't let a bunch of eleventh-grade mouth breathers get you down. They don't deserve your tears." Kurt nodded and sniffled very loudly in Blaine's ear. "Or your snot." That caused Kurt to giggle. Blaine released his hold on Kurt and pulled back far enough so they could look each other in the eye. "Do you want to go? We don't have to stay."

Though Kurt's eyes were glassy, Blaine could see a determined look behind his tears and knew in a heartbeat what Kurt's answer was going to be.

"No," Kurt said firmly. "No, I'm going to go back in there and accept my crown." He wiped at his cheeks, clearing them of any stray tears. "They can't touch me. They can't touch us."

Blaine smiled and pressed a soft kiss to Kurt's cheek. "That's my man," he whispered into his boyfriend's ear.

Hand in hand, they walked back into the gym. Both boys were a little surprised that everyone was exactly where they were standing when Kurt ran out of the room a few minutes before. Slowly, they made their way through the crowd, keeping their eyes forward though they could feel the stares and glares of the other people in the room. Once they got near the stage, Blaine gave Kurt's hand a gentle squeeze before he let go.

Shoulders back and head held high, Kurt walked onto the stage and up to the principal who placed the queen's crown onto Kurt's head. With a controlled sigh, Kurt also accepted the queen's scepter before turning toward the rest of the attendees and musing into the microphone, "Eat your heart out, Kate Middleton." From his spot in the background, David Karofsky rolled his eyes.

Blaine broke into a wide grin, extremely proud of his boyfriend for handling such a terrible situation with such aplomb. He was surprised when people around him started clapping and cheering for Kurt, but he quickly joined in. Kurt curtsied on stage and gave his boyfriend a wink.

However, the brief moments of lighthearted humor were quickly quashed when Principal Figgins announced that the newly crowned King and Queen would share in the traditional dance. Kurt's eyes widened as a drummer on stage started playing and a guitar player strummed the opening bars of the Smokey Robinson classic "Cruisin'."

Even though he thought it was wrong, Artie wheeled himself out toward the front of the stage and started singing. "Baby let's cruise…"

"Away from heeeeeeeeeeeeeeere," Mercedes joined in.

"Don't be confused," Artie continued.

"The way is cleeeeeeeeeeear," Mercedes sang.

As his friends sang next to him, Kurt watched as David stepped down off the stage and into the center of the floor. Kurt followed, unsure of what was about to happen. He didn't want to dance with Karofsky, but it seemed like they kind of had to in keeping with tradition.

Once they were both in the middle of the floor, Kurt turned to David. He was surprised to see the jock looking extremely scared instead of angry. Kurt suspected David was gay after he forced himself upon Kurt in the locker room in the fall and thought for a fraction of a second the other boy would use this as an opportunity to be honest with himself. Trying to be a bigger man in the given situation, Kurt held out a hand to David, willing to put aside their differences and dance.

David, though, took one look at Kurt's offered hand and shook his head. "I'm sorry," he whispered to Kurt with genuine pain in his voice. "I can't." He walked off, tearing the crown from his head as he made his way to the exit.

Kurt was left standing alone in the middle of the floor, rejected and embarrassed. He slowly lowered his arm to his side, wishing the music would stop and that he could just beam himself as far away as possible.

Just as the chorus was about to kick in again, Kurt heard someone clear his throat behind him.

"Um, excuse me," a familiar voice said just loud enough for Kurt to hear over the song. Kurt turned around to find Blaine holding a shaky hand out in his direction. "May I have this dance?"

There was legitimate fear in Blaine's eyes and in his heart, but he wanted to do this for Kurt as much as he needed to do this for himself.

Kurt smiled and nodded, helping ease Blaine's nerves. "Yes. Yes you may."

As soon as Kurt's hand closed around Blaine's, the older boy was able to breath again. Soon their hands were gripping each other's backs while their other was clasped around Kurt's scepter. Having never really properly danced with anyone else, it took a few steps for them to fall into an easy rhythm.

They only had eyes for each other as their friends continued to serenade them.

_Baby, tonight belongs to us_

_Everything's right, do what you must_

_And inch-by-inch we get closer and closer_

_To every little part of each other_

_Ooh, baby, yeah, so_

_Let the music take your mind_

_Just release and you would find_

_Your gonna fly away, glad you're going way_

_I love it when we're cruisin' together_

_Music is playin' for love_

_Cruisin' is made for love_

_I love it when we're cruisin' together_

The End


End file.
